§*;-~..... .....~-;*§
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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. ,,¨..«:£#£
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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. ..¨¨¨,,-/£
£§/~-¨.,,. .,,.¨-~/§£
#£%†~~.¨.¨ .#¨ ¨.¨.~~†%£#
#@¤£=~~,,¨ ¨,,~~=£¤@#
##@@&:=^.¨ 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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