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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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