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