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@%*~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~*%@
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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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