£§§«-.....                                          .....-«§§£
##@££§*«-.                                          .-«*§££@##
#@#££§*«-.                                          .-«*§££#@#
#££§*--...                                          ...--*§££#
#@#££§*«-.                                          .-«*§££#@#
@£§**-....         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ....-**§£@
#££££§*«-.         * 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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¶%%*§†=:,.                                          .,:=†§*%%¶