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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, .,.,,.«%§§
@¤#$%:,.,¨ FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND ¨,.,:%$#¤@
##@££$†=,, ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. ,,=†$££@##
#@@@*$:«,. IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, .,«:$*@@@#
##@§@$:»~¨ AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. ¨~»:$@§@##
&%*^=-,... ...,-=^*%&
&@†**^«,,. .#, .,,«^**†@&
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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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#@£££^\».¨ .#¨ ¨.»\^£££@#
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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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