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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. .,=/*¤¤¶@#
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&$%»-=»,,, HE TRIES TO RESIST AT FIRST, BUT IS TOO ,,,»=-»%$&
#@£#$%:«,¨ CLOSE, AND HE QUICKLY GIVES UP AS THE ¨,«:%$#£@#
##£&%**»-¨ 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,$THEIR%THIRST%FLARING% ,¨,,«=*¤§&
##¶¤§*\~-. †*§BRIGHT$-=$A&SUDDEN@%AWARENESS# .-~\*§¤¶##
###££^†=-. #%OF§¤EXACTLY¤#HOW§THEY£HAD&TRAVELED,¤# .-=†^££###
####%%\=.¨ #§OF£THE#WAY#HOME¶#TO#THE¶TIME#FROM#@ ¨.=\%%####
#@#£@^=~,¨ ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,#@#@###AND#THEN##@# ¨,~=^@£#@#
###@§%†~,. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE^~ .,~†%§@###
£§*=~~~«~¨ ~~BEING - STOLEN =» FROM ==~ THEM. . ¨~«~~~=*§£
#&%\=¨¨.,¨ ~« , ««» ¨ =, ,- - ¨,.¨¨=\%&#
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####$*†«~. AND, .~«†*$####
##@&@*\~:¨ ¨:~\*@&@##
####@%:~~¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨~~:%@####
@#@*&$*~~. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .~~*$&*@#@
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