¨-~^§£&#@@                                          @@#&£§^~-¨
¨-~^§£&###                                          ###&£§^~-¨
¨-~^§£&@##                                          ##@&£§^~-¨
¨-~^§£&#@@                                          @@#&£§^~-¨
¨-~^^§§&#@                                          @#&§§^^~-¨
¨-~^§£&#@#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #@#&£§^~-¨
¨-~^^^§§&@         ^ 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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