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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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¨.,@&@..,. §¤,.¤£@#,¨