..::;;;%£#                                          #£%;;;::..
.....::;&£                                          £&;::.....
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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.       ##@¤%^^~-,
¨:=†=$&£##                                          ##£&$=†=:¨
..¨,-;=¤#£                                          £#¤=;-,¨..
.,«*§*@###                                          ###@*§*«,.
.^-;$@¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤@$;-^.
,--*^*####                                          ####*^*--,