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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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#@¶&§^/-,, ¨#¨ ,,-/^§&¶@#
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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, ,¨,.~»~\*#
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#£@§†^-~:. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .:~-^†§@£#
###@#$*^», NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,»^*$#@###
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