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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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###§£=/~,¨ ¨,~/=£§###
&%=\~=.¨¨. 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. . ,~«*§£@@@#
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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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