#..#....## ##.##.#...
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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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&@...¨§§&, ..¨.§.@¨¤£
.&,¨.¤,¨¤# ..,¤@¤§£.,