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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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#@¤§:-~,¨. .¨,~-:§¤@#
@%=:»,¨¨¨, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,¨¨¨,»:=%@
@£¤$†-~,.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨.,~-†$¤£@
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