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