¨.-**£#¶@#                                          #@¶#£**-.¨
¨¨¨.***££¶                                          ¶££***.¨¨¨
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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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.^:~«^¤&£&                                          &£&¤^«~:^.
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