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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 .,-\§%#@£#
####*$\~-¨ IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. ¨-~\$*####
@@¶@%*†»,. IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN .,»†*%@¶@@
§&*%†*\~^, THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS ,^~\*†%*&§
##@§&%;~,¨ UNDISTURBED BY WIND. ¨,~;%&§@##
@#£££%^»,¨ ¨,»^%£££#@
#$:/,¨¨¨¨. ,#, .¨¨¨¨,/:$#
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@§;:«~¨.¨, AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE ,¨.¨~«:;§@
##@@%%\~-, EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, ,-~\%%@@##
##¶#%$*»:¨ 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. .,¨¨¨.«=%#
##£¤§\:,¨¨ , « ~ ^ , ¨¨,:\§¤£##
#@@@£†*-:, 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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