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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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