.,~/^£@@¶@                                          @¶@@£^/~,.
.,~/^£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£^/~,.
.,~/^£@¶##                                          ##¶@£^/~,.
.,~/^£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£^/~,.
.....,/£@¶                                          ¶@£/,.....
....,/£££¶         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¶£££/,....
.,~~/^^£@@         / 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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,,»=%$¤@##                                          ##@¤$%=»,,