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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, ,»;%%££###
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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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£#£@£%†«,¨ .#. ¨,«†%£@£#£
§%\/:^,.¨, ,¨.,^:/\%§
###&%%*~~¨ 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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