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