.....:=%##                                          ##%=:.....
.:»=%%£###                                          ###£%%=»:.
.:»=%%££##                                          ##££%%=»:.
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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.       £*$†*=«,,,
¨,.¨=~~*†@                                          @†*~~=¨.,¨
.,....»=¤@                                          @¤=»....,.
.~~*%*@#@#                                          #@#@*%*~~.
.^~=^$@¶@#                                          #@¶@$^=~^.
..~*=&&$£@                                          @£$&&=*~..