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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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