##££$=*~,.                                          .,~*=$££##
##££$=*~,.                                          .,~*=$££##
##££$=*~,.                                          .,~*=$££##
##££$=*~,.                                          .,~*=$££##
££$===*~,.                                          .,~*===$££
#£$****~,.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .,~****$£#
##££$=*~,.         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         .,~*=$££##
##££$=*~,.         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         .,~*=$££##
£$*~......         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ......~*$£
££=~......         *  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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¤§&^=,....                                          ....,=^&§¤