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