¶¤@*~~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~~*@¤¶
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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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