##¶&¤$^~., ,.~^$¤&¶##
#¶&¤$^~.,, ,,.~^$¤&¶#
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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. ¨..~\*%¤¶#
###£&$/~:, ,:~/$&£###
##&%%/=^,. .,^=/%%&##
#@£¤**==~, ,~==**¤£@#
#@@*^;»-,¨ ¨,-»;^*@@#
##@§%%:=,. .,=:%%§@##