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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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&&£*«¨¨... ...¨¨«*£&&
@¶%*$-~-., .#, ,.-~-$*%¶@
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£¤$»,,.,., AND, ,.,.,,»$¤£
@#%=-,,.¨, ,¨.,,-=%#@
@#£¤§=†~,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,~†=§¤£#@
£@@%*:,,¨¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨¨,,:*%@@£
§††»¨,,¨¨. .¨¨,,¨»††§
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