¨¨¨¨¨.~*£#                                          #£*~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~.¨
¨¨¨¨~~*%%£                                          £%%*~~¨¨¨¨
¨.~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~.¨
¨.~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~.¨
¨¨..~†*££#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #££*†~..¨¨
¨.~†*%£###         † 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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