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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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