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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. ,,-=*%§£@#
##£¤%††=.¨ ¨.=††%¤£##
###£¤$^=^¨ ¨#¨ ¨^=^$¤£###
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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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