@@£¤%*\«-, ,-«\*%¤£@@
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##@£¤*\«-, ,-«\*¤£@##
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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. , ,.,,,,=§^&
###&£=\«^. =- ¨ =~~ ¨ =¨ -» = .^«\=£&###
£¤¤$$*^»:, , ^, . ¨ ,:»^*$$¤¤£
&§$-¨..¨¨, ¨ ¨ . ^ ,¨¨..¨-$§&
#@†==,,.,, ,,.,,==†@#
##&£@*^~:. .#¨ .:~^*@£&##
###£$$†~.¨ ¨.~†$$£###
#§%=\^».¨. AND, .¨.»^\=%§#
@¤§*§~...¨ ¨...~§*§¤@
#@&&£†;~,¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨,~;†£&&@#
@£^-.¨.¨¨¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨¨¨.¨.-^£@
#£$«,:¨,., ,.,¨:,«$£#
#&¤@£%/=,¨ ¨,=/%£@¤&#
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