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#@@£§*†»-¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨-»†*§£@@#
#@@£§*†»-¨ † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † ¨-»†*§£@@#
#@@£§*†»-¨ † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † ¨-»†*§£@@#
£*†††»»»-¨ † BRANCHED WAY BACK † ¨-»»»†††*£
@@@£§*†»-¨ † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † ¨-»†*§£@@@
@@@£§*†»-¨ † WAS ALMOST BARREN, † ¨-»†*§£@@@
#@@£§*†»-¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨-»†*§£@@#
@§§†††»-¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨-»†††§§@
@§†-¨¨¨¨¨¨ † AT ALL... † ¨¨¨¨¨¨-†§@
£§†-¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨-†§£
####§$/~,, ,,~/$§####
#@@£&=;~,, MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ,,~;=&£@@#
££†\~.¨¨,, LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, ,,¨¨.~\†££
###@£=^»-. FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND .-»^=£@###
###¶@%*~:¨ ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. ¨:~*%@¶###
####£*/~:. IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, .:~/*£####
##¶§¤*†=~. AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. .~=†*¤§¶##
@£*:-¨¨¨., ,.¨¨¨-:*£@
¶£&*=:..,, ,#. ,,..:=*&£¶
##¶¤%*/-,. .,-/*%¤¶##
@§£%†^~~.. THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE ..~~^†%£§@
&%«»¨¨¨,¨¨ IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. ¨¨,¨¨¨»«%&
£*§%*.¨,¨, IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN ,¨,¨.*%§*£
###&@*/«,. THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS .,«/*@&###
&§#£*\-.,, UNDISTURBED BY WIND. ,,.-\*£#§&
@§#@¤*;»:¨ ¨:»;*¤@#§@
###¤&^^«:¨ ,#¨ ¨:«^^&¤###
#@@&$%*-.¨ ¨.-*%$&@@#
#&$*«=.¨,. AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE .,¨.=«*$&#
¶@%/»^--¨¨ EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, ¨¨--^»/%@¶
@@£$:\~-.. WHICH IS SOMETHING THEY ALL DESIRE ..-~\:$£@@
§££^/=-~^. GREATLY AT THIS POINT. THEY FAIL TO .^~-=/^££§
##£@@**«^, NOTICE THAT THE STARS DO NOT REFLECT ON ,^«**@@£##
##@&¤$:~.¨ ITS SURFACE. ONE OF THEM CROUCHES TO ¨.~:$¤&@##
£%£\\~~..¨ DRINK, FORMS A CUP WITH HIS HANDS, ¨..~~\\£%£
####&$=~,. LOWERS THE CUP INTO THE POOL. .,~=$&####
##@@§%/~,, ,,~/%§@@##
@¤&/~~.¨,¨ HE TRIES TO RESIST AT FIRST, BUT IS TOO ¨,¨.~~/&¤@
@£@$*~^-¨, CLOSE, AND HE QUICKLY GIVES UP AS THE ,¨-^~*$@£@
####@*^--¨ LIQUID FLOWS INTO HIS MIND. THE OTHERS, ¨--^*@####
####&%/~,¨ ~ NOT UNDERSTANDING THE-DANGER, MOVE ¨,~/%&####
@¶##%%†»,. CLOSER TO HELP THEIR¨FRIEND. .,»†%%##¶@
##¶#£^†-^, ¨ = » , , ,^-†^£#¶##
@@$$$:=«-. AND,THEN,THE,POOL.ANNOUNCES,ITSELF .-«=:$$$@@
@£@#¤%=»., TO,THEM.-¨SUDDEN,-¨THOUGHTS¨OF. ,.»=%¤#@£@
#¶@§@%†~-. ,,~DARK~WOLVES~,CLIMBING.OUT,OF-,~~ .-~†%@§@¶#
###¶#*\-^, «»«THE~POOL,~SURROUNDING†THEM^-†:/ ,^-\*#¶###
##£=^,¨,¨, *SUDDEN*THOUGHTS:OF~»/CLIMBING;*% ,¨,¨,^=£##
####*$^-,. INTO$THE^POOL,*THEIR§THIRST%FLARING* .,-^$*####
@#§$=%†=^. ^†%BRIGHT^-*£A£SUDDEN&$AWARENESS# .^=†%=$§#@
##@#%%;«~, #%OF§#EXACTLY&¶HOW£THEY&HAD#TRAVELED,$# ,~«;%%#@##
##¶&@§==,. ##OF§THE#WAY#HOME¶¶TO@THE£TIME@FROM@¶ .,==§@&¶##
@%**-,¨¨¨¨ #@WHERE@THEY@CAME,@#@#@@#AND#THEN@##@ ¨¨¨¨,-**%@
###@%§†~,¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE=- ¨,~†§%@###
¤£†:,¨,¨¨. ~-BEING » STOLEN -~ FROM »»~ THEM. . .¨¨,¨,:†£¤
#£§§@§^=-¨ ~- ¨ «=~ ¨ ~, -« « ¨-=^§@§§£#
###¤@%=~~¨ ~ :, . , ¨~~=%@¤###
#@@¤§%^«., , , . ^ ,.«^%§¤@@#
##@&%$*~,, ,,~*$%&@##
£#¤&%%;=,¨ ,#, ¨,=;%%&¤#£
@@§¤$%†»~, ,~»†%$¤§@@
##@§%††~,¨ AND, ¨,~††%§@##
##@¶$$=~:. .:~=$$¶@##
#@@&¤*^»,¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨,»^*¤&@@#
##@%;†*~~¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨~~*†;%@##
##£@%$*~,¨ ¨,~*$%@£##
#§£&@^;«,, ,,«;^@&£§#
##£@£§;~,, ,,~;§£@£##
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