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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. ,..,-~^@§#
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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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