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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 ..~=*£#¶##
#£$\^;:»:, DRINK, FORMS A CUP WITH HIS HANDS, ,:»:;^\$£#
##@£¤==~-¨ LOWERS THE CUP INTO THE POOL. ¨-~==¤£@##
#¤*=,,.¨¨. .¨¨.,,=*¤#
#@¶§£*\~., HE TRIES TO RESIST AT FIRST, BUT IS TOO ,.~\*£§¶@#
¤§§%~~^~¨, CLOSE, AND HE QUICKLY GIVES UP AS THE ,¨~^~~%§§¤
#£#&§*/--¨ LIQUID FLOWS INTO HIS MIND. THE OTHERS, ¨--/*§&#£#
&†»~=,,¨,¨ « NOT UNDERSTANDING THE»DANGER, MOVE ¨,¨,,=~»†&
##£¤@†:»,. CLOSER TO HELP THEIR.FRIEND. .,»:†@¤£##
£#$£%»-¨¨. . = - ^ , .¨¨-»%£$#£
#£§¤**;=:¨ AND,THEN¨THE,POOL.ANNOUNCES.ITSELF ¨:=;**¤§£#
#@@&£$^»,, 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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