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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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