@@@£$†=»-. .-»=†$£@@@
@£££$†=»-. .-»=†$£££@
#@@£$†=»-. .-»=†$£@@#
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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. ¨,.,.~^~%#
##@@£^/=.. ..=/^£@@##
###¤%*=»-¨ ¨#, ¨-»=*%¤###
##@#¤%/»~¨ ¨~»/%¤#@##
##¶#**†«,. 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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¶%£*\*-,,¨ 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. . .¨..¨-;^%£
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¶¤†$=¨.¨.. AND, ..¨.¨=$†¤¶
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##£§*%*«^¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨^«*%*§£##
#@£§£§=«., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.«=§£§£@#
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