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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... \ ¨:»\====&#
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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 ,¨.,.,***§
@¶¶#*=:-:, 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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#@%;/-¨¨., NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,.¨¨-/;%@#
##@£%§/»,. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .,»/§%£@##
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