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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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