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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 ¨,,.:*&£$&
@££=*=-^,¨ IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. ¨,^-=*=££@
##@¶¤%*\-^ IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN ^-\*%¤¶@##
###¶%*^«-. THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS .-«^*%¶###
#@#¤§§\~:¨ UNDISTURBED BY WIND. ¨:~\§§¤#@#
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##£££††«-. ¨#. .-«††£££##
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¶&%~.,.¨¨. AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE .¨¨.,.~%&¶
##@¤¤=/~.. EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, ..~/=¤¤@##
¶@§§*~..,, WHICH IS SOMETHING THEY ALL DESIRE ,,..~*§§@¶
#$*~,¨¨,¨¨ 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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