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