¨¨¨^^*††£#                                          #£††*^^¨¨¨
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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...     *         £†**~^¨¨¨¨
¨^~*†&£###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###£&†*~^¨
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.,^-»^:*§@     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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