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¨^«*$%¤£@#                                          #@£¤%$*«^¨
¨^«*$%¤£££                                          £££¤%$*«^¨
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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.  ###&&=^~^¨
..~*$$%&##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##&%$$*~..
.^~=†@§#@#                                          #@#§@†=~^.
¨~»\%&§@##                                          ##@§&%\»~¨
,.¨,.††§$@                                          @$§††.,¨.,
.~«*%£¤@#@                                          @#@¤£%*«~.
,,,.:;%@¤¶                                          ¶¤@%;:.,,,