#####....# ########.#
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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. @¨@£¨,£,¤@
...,.&,¤§, £@£.@,¤@¤¨
,,,,,&¤§¨# &,,#§¤#.¨#
&¨,..£,,&# .§.&,.¨§.#
,£¨¨.#¤.#¨ £#@¤¤.¨#&&
§§¤..#.&¤§ £.¨,.&,#,¨