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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. ,:~/*£@¶##
#@#&¤*;-.¨ ¨.-;*¤&#@#
#@#£¤%;~:. ,#¨ .:~;%¤£#@#
#¶#=\«~^.¨ ¨.^~«\=#¶#
##£^$--¨¨. AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE .¨¨--$^£##
@¤\......, 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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