#£**==««,.                                          .,««==**£#
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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.        ¨^~;*@@@##
&§*--,..,.                                          .,..,--*§&
###£&%*~..                                          ..~*%&£###
##@¤%%==.¨                                          ¨.==%%¤@##
@#@§£†^-~¨                                          ¨~-^†£§@#@
#¤%:~,¨..¨                                          ¨..¨,~:%¤#