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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... * ¨¨¨--*§£@@
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#@@@%§;~,¨ 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. ,^~:%¤#¶@#
£@$$\-,..¨ ¨..,-\$$@£
£$@§*«»»^, ,#. ,^»»«*§@$£
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###££$:»^. THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE .^»:$££###
#@#&£*^=^¨ IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. ¨^=^*£&#@#
#@§*†».,¨. IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN .¨,.»†*§@#
@@££\\†«,, THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS ,,«†\\££@@
##¶&%†=»~¨ UNDISTURBED BY WIND. ¨~»=†%&¶##
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###§£†=~,¨ ¨#. ¨,~=†£§###
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@§§#§%^~,¨ 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##@# ¨....««=£&
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###&§^\-:, --BEING « STOLEN «« FROM «»» THEM. . ,:-\^§&###
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££=-¨¨,¨.. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ..¨,¨¨-=££
###£§^=--, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,--=^§£###
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