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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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