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