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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 ¨:~:$§¤@##
##@@%§/-~, THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS ,~-/§%@@##
¤%%*«.,,,. UNDISTURBED BY WIND. .,,,.«*%%¤
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£@£*~^.,.¨ ¨#¨ ¨.,.^~*£@£
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#@£#£%;-,, AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE ,,-;%£#£@#
#####%†~~, EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, ,~~†%#####
####&*\~^, WHICH IS SOMETHING THEY ALL DESIRE ,^~\*&####
@@=«.:,..¨ GREATLY AT THIS POINT. THEY FAIL TO ¨..,:.«=@@
#@#¤**\=.¨ NOTICE THAT THE STARS DO NOT REFLECT ON ¨.=\**¤#@#
#§%-~=~»,. ITS SURFACE. ONE OF THEM CROUCHES TO .,»~=~-%§#
#@@#*$:-,, 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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