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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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§†^-¨¨,¨¨, ,#¨ ,¨¨,¨¨-^†§
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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 .,...~\&¶#
#@¶&$%/«^¨ UNDISTURBED BY WIND. ¨^«/%$&¶@#
##@@@*\=-¨ ¨-=\*@@@##
¶¤==,^:,¨¨ .#, ¨¨,:^,==¤¶
####@*;~~, ,~~;*@####
###¶#$:=.. AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE ..=:$#¶###
###@#$§/»: EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, :»/§$#@###
#¤†:,-,.¨¨ 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. ,¨.¨,:^%§£
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#@@¤¤§\~^¨ AND,THEN,THE,POOL¨ANNOUNCES.ITSELF ¨^~\§¤¤@@#
##@@&£*»~. TO,THEM¨-,SUDDEN¨,¨THOUGHTS.OF. .~»*£&@@##
@@@&*%†~,, ,^~DARK=WOLVES~,CLIMBING:OUT~OF-.~- ,,~†%*&@@@
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#$=,,,¨.,¨ /SUDDEN/THOUGHTS/OF~»†CLIMBING^†† ¨,.¨,,,=$#
##@¤$*;-~¨ INTO$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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###@&=;~.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.~;=&@###
¶§§£%*\=-. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .-=\*%£§§¶
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