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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. ..,....£@@
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,¤@£,...,£ 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, ,&..¨¨.#,¨
.¨,¨¨§@&¨¨ ,.@¨,.¨.¤¨
..,,.@.#§, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¤¨,§¨¨¨,,#
£¨,,¨¨,¤@£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .&,.£¨.,,.
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