#@£¤£†*«^¨                                          ¨^«*†£¤£@#
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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.        ,:«^†$&###
#@£&£§\~-¨                                          ¨-~\§£&£@#
¤&$*†=...¨                                          ¨...=†*$&¤
###¤&§/»:,                                          ,:»/§&¤###
#@@§£§*=^¨                                          ¨^=*§£§@@#
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