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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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