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#$$«,,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,,«$$#
#$;«««,,,, ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ,,,,«««;$#
££#$;«,,,, ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ,,,,«;$#££
##$;;;;«,, ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; ,,«;;;;$##
###£#¤$«,, ; WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ; ,,«$¤#£###
#¤$«,,,,,, ; WAS ALMOST BARREN, ; ,,,,,,«$¤#
##£#¤$;«,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,«;$¤#£##
####¤$;«,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,«;$¤####
####¤$;«,, ; AT ALL... ; ,,«;$¤####
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#@§=¨.,.¨¨ ¨¨.,.¨=§@#
#@@*†=«=^¨ 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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