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