¨¨¨¨¨¨«^%&                                          &%^«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«*^%&@##                                          ##@&%^*«,¨
¨,«*^%&&££                                          ££&&%^*«,¨
¨¨¨¨««*%%£                                          £%%*««¨¨¨¨
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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,                   £#¶¤%†^--,
..~=:=§=¤£                                          £¤=§=:=~..
,,-††§$=@#  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  #@=$§††-,,
¨,,-,*;%$#       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        #$%;*,-,,¨
,^«***$$#@                                          @#$$***«^,
¨,-†%¤£###                                          ###£¤%†-,¨
,^~;$%§£##                                          ##£§%$;~^,
¨-~»*§^£&£                                          £&£^§*»~-¨
,,«;§*&£&¤                                          ¤&£&*§;«,,