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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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