###@£%*».¨                                          ¨.»*%£@###
###@£%*».¨                                          ¨.»*%£@###
###@£%*».¨                                          ¨.»*%£@###
###@£%*».¨                                          ¨.»*%£@###
###@£%*».¨                                          ¨.»*%£@###
@£%*.¨¨¨¨¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨¨¨¨¨.*%£@
#@@@£%*».¨         * 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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¤§£%/,~¨,¨                                          ¨,¨~,/%£§¤
@@&;:,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,:;&@@
#@#¤£*=~,,                                          ,,~=*£¤#@#