@@££@*:~^.                                          .^~:*@££@@
##@£@*:~^.                                          .^~:*@£@##
££££@*:~^.                                          .^~:*@££££
£££@@*:~^.                                          .^~:*@@£££
#@££@*:~^.                                          .^~:*@££@#
##@££@*:~^         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ^~:*@££@##
££@@@*:~^.         : 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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