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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. ,¨.¨,:«=**
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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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