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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$*AWARENESS#     ¨.«==%@@##
@§^\*»¨,¨¨  #%OF&&EXACTLY££HOW&THEY§HAD&TRAVELED,£# ¨¨,¨»*\^§@
@*««-,¨.,,  #@OF#THE@WAY@HOME@¶TO@THE@TIME@FROM¶£   ,,.¨,-««*@
##@&@*†»~.   #@WHERE#THEY@CAME,@##@###AND#THEN####  .~»†*@&@##
@#%:\«,.¨.   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE*«   .¨.,«\:%#@
###££*\~~.   »=BEING - STOLEN =~ FROM =~« THEM. ¨   .~~\*££###
##¶&&$\»:.          =« ¨  «~~ ¨  «¨  ^~  »          .:»\$&&¶##
@&§/-^¨,¨¨    -   .^          ~                ,    ¨¨,¨^-/§&@
¶£=*-,.,.¨        .      .          ¨      $        ¨.,.,-*=£¶
###¤%%*«-¨                                          ¨-«*%%¤###
#%=»~^,,,,                   .#,                    ,,,,^~»=%#
##¶&¤^;«,,                                          ,,«;^¤&¶##
@@@#¤%^~.¨                   AND,                   ¨.~^%¤#@@@
#@@§@%/-.,                                          ,.-/%@§@@#
¤%==-,.,¨,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,¨,.,-==%¤
#@¶£@*\~:,       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ,:~\*@£¶@#
@$†$^,..¨¨                                          ¨¨..,^$†$@
@£%†»:,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,:»†%£@
#¤%*=-~.-,                                          ,-.~-=*%¤#
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##@§£§*=^.                                          .^=*§£§@##