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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, ¨,~:†$¤###
¶¤&£^»«~^¨ AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. ¨^~«»^£&¤¶
#¶£†§$:»,¨ ¨,»:$§†£¶#
##@§&%†--¨ ¨#. ¨--†%&§@##
@£%¤;†~¨¨. .¨¨~†;¤%£@
##£¤%§:=^, THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE ,^=:§%¤£##
####&*^~^. IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. .^~^*&####
##¶&***~:¨ IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN ¨:~***&¶##
#=*~-,,,¨¨ THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS ¨¨,,,-~*=#
#@@@*%;«^. UNDISTURBED BY WIND. .^«;%*@@@#
#¤=;;;^=^¨ ¨^=^;;;=¤#
¶$%\-¨¨.,. ¨#, .,.¨¨-\%$¶
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#¤/\~=¨.,¨ AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE ¨,.¨=~\/¤#
##¶@£†;-:, EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, ,:-;†£@¶##
@*$%»«,.¨, 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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