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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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@%$†~-¨¨¨, THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE ,¨¨¨-~†$%@
¶¤&§@†/-,, 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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