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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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