##¶&%%:~~. .~~:%%&¶##
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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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