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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. .,«*%^%@£@
#@¶££*^«:. .:«^*££¶@#
##££$^/~^¨ .#, ¨^~/^$££##
#&#%$=^~:¨ ¨:~^=$%#&#
#¤$%;;~,,. THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE .,,~;;%$¤#
#@¶£$^\~^, IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. ,^~\^$£¶@#
¤*»¨,¨¨¨,. 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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@¤&£::~¨¨, AND, ,¨¨~::£&¤@
@#%~.¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨.~%#@
##£@@*\~-, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,-~\*@@£##
##£#*%:~,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,~:%*#£##
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