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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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