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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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*:~^..,,,, AND, ,,,,..^~:*
*=,..,,..¨ ¨..,,..,=*
-.,.¨¨¨,,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,,¨¨¨.,.-
:~^¨¨.¨... NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ...¨.¨¨^~:
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