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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$KNOWLEDGE^« .,«^§£####
¶¤£@£*\=.¨ =~BEING » STOLEN =~ FROM ~~~ THEM. , ¨.=\*£@£¤¶
@††~==~».¨ =~ . »~~ , ~. -- ~ ¨.»~==~††@
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#@¶¤@%=~:, AND, ,:~=%@¤¶@#
#@@&$%;=:¨ ¨:=;%$&@@#
#¶£@%^*-,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,-*^%@£¶#
#@#@&%†~-. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .-~†%&@#@#
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