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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. ¨.=/=£&##@
####@%*=.. ..=*%@####
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@£=%»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»%=£@
###¶£*%;,. 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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