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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. ,,==%*@£@#
£&%=†~~¨,. .,¨~~†=%&£
#&†»,,..¨. ,#. .¨..,,»†&#
§#§:;..,,¨ ¨,,..;:§#§
¶§*%~~«,.¨ 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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