#......##. .#..#.###.
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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. , ...,¤¨.§¨¨
¨¨,£,£@,.. »= ¨ -»~ , -. ^« ~ ,¨,..£..@.
¨¨..,£&£¨, ^ -: ~ , #,,¨,.¤¨,@
#,,,,@.¤#¨ , . ¨ * .£¨,,.¨£¨,
¨#,,.¨.@&& ,.§¨¨,..¤.
¨.§,.,.&.¤ .#, #.,#,,,,,&
£.,¤,¨...# &§¨,£,.,¨.
.#¨,@¨¨,¨£ AND, @§¤¨.@,¨.,
,.¤,,¤,¨¨. §,§&,.¤,,.
.¨¨&¨.§.., NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.@£&¨¨£,,
¨¨.¨£¨.§.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..£.£@,.#.
¨.¨.,§.,#, #¨.,&£#¨¨£
£,.,,,§¨.£ §#¨¨£¨§£.,
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¨.&,.,.¨¤, ,@¤&..¤,§£
@,.#,¨..,& ¨&¨£#¨,,£@