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