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