###&£%\~^¨ ¨^~\%£&###
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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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