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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, ,,,:~=%@¤#
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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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#¶@$%/=:,. ,#¨ .,:=/%$@¶#
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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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