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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, .:=\%£¤¶@#
#¶¤$%=~:¨. AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. .¨:~=%$¤¶#
£&$=/~:¨,. .,¨:~/=$&£
@#££=†-,,¨ .#¨ ¨,,-†=££#@
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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. ,,.:«†§§£@
##£$*=~~¨. , ~ = - ¨ .¨~~=*$£##
####@%:~., 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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