,^~*$££@@#                                          #@@££$*~^,
,^~*$£££££                                          £££££$*~^,
,^~*$££@@#                                          #@@££$*~^,
,^~*$££££@                                          @££££$*~^,
,^~*$££@##                                          ##@££$*~^,
,^~*$££@@@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @@@££$*~^,
,,,,,^*££@         * 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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.=†%££@@##                                          ##@@££%†=.