£$$$^=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=^$$$£
@@¶£$^=-~¨                                          ¨~-=^$£¶@@
@££^^--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--^^££@
##@¶£$^=-~                                          ~-=^$£¶@##
#@¶£$^=-~¨                                          ¨~-=^$£¶@#
##¶£$^=-~¨         # -------------------- #         ¨~-=^$£¶##
#@¶£$^=-~¨         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ¨~-=^$£¶@#
#@¶£$^=-~¨         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ¨~-=^$£¶@#
¶¶££$^=-~¨         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         ¨~-=^$££¶¶
@@¶£$^=-~¨         =  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  =         ¨~-=^$£¶@@
#@¶£$^=-~¨         =  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  =         ¨~-=^$£¶@#
##@¶£$^-~¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ¨~-^$£¶@##
@£^^==~~¨¨  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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#§&£;=¨.,.                                          .,.¨=;£&§#