##@££††=-¨                                          ¨-=††££@##
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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.       .,,,~;:*&#
@¤¤%:«¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨«:%¤¤@
¤#§¤$=;-,,                                          ,,-;=$¤§#¤
@†%:=-,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,-=:%†@
###£%†:=,,                                          ,,=:†%£###
@§=*~¨¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨¨~*=§@