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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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