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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;~ ¨^~\$%@$¤£
¶#@§%=-,., «-BEING » STOLEN ~= FROM =~- THEM. , ,.,-=%§@#¶
##@¤§†:~,¨ -« ¨ ~=» , », .~ - ¨,~:†§¤@##
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#@@£*^*=-¨ .#¨ ¨-=*^*£@@#
#@@#$=/~.¨ ¨.~/=$#@@#
£&=~~,¨,., AND, ,.,¨,~~=&£
#@££%=*~,. .,~*=%££@#
¤==*^=~-.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.-~=^*==¤
###¤£$=-^¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨^-=$£¤###
¶&§*«,.,., ,.,.,«*§&¶
##£:~«..¨¨ ¨¨..«~:£##
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