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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. .,,¨,.~:%£
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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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