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###£$$;»,. ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; .,»;$$£###
###£$$;»,. ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; .,»;$$£###
###£$$;»,. ; WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ; .,»;$$£###
£$$;,,,... ; WAS ALMOST BARREN, ; ...,,,;$$£
###£$$;»,. COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, .,»;$$£###
###£$$;»,. AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, .,»;$$£###
###£$$;»,. ; AT ALL... ; .,»;$$£###
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##@#%*:=:¨ ¨:=:*%#@##
&¤%/~-~.,¨ 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. ¨,«\^%@#@#
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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. ,,~\%*@###
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####§$=~^, AND.THEN.THE¨POOL,ANNOUNCES.ITSELF ,^~=$§####
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##@#¤=/-,. ,~=DARK-WOLVES=.CLIMBING:OUT:OF,,-~ .,-/=¤#@##
#$§/*†=«,¨ »«-THE»POOL,»SURROUNDING/THEM†-;\* ¨,«=†*/§$#
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#@¶@$*†-,¨ INTO§THE=POOL,§THEIR%THIRST^FLARING§ ¨,-†*$@¶@#
###@£§†~,. **%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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##¶¤$=†~^, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,^~†=$¤¶##
&£*^/«,¨., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.¨,«/^*£&
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