#§%**:::¨¨                                          ¨¨:::**%§#
#£§%*~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~*%§£#
##£§%**~:¨                                          ¨:~**%§£##
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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,$# ,,:^«=^%£@
##@£%%\=:¨  #&Of@The@Way#Home##To@The@Time£From@#   ¨:=\%%£@##
#@##@=\»,¨   #£Where@They#Came,@#@@###And#Then#@##  ¨,»\=@##@#
@@¶§%^;=.¨   #####The#Feeling#Of#This^Knowledge*=   ¨.=;^%§¶@@
##@¤£§\~~.   ~~Being ~ Stolen «= From ~== Them. .   .~~\§£¤@##
##†».¨,.¨,          =- .  -«= ,  ».  ,»  »          ,¨.,¨.»†##
§£*::*:,¨¨    ~   .:          ,                ,    ¨¨,:*::*£§
#¤*«~¨...,        .      ¨          .      *        ,...¨~«*¤#
##¶¤£=:-.,                                          ,.-:=£¤¶##
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###£$%=«,,                                          ,,«=%$£###
@#£**\/~:¨                   And,                   ¨:~/\**£#@
#@£&§§;~:,                                          ,:~;§§&£@#
##££¤=;~:,  Now The Reach Of The Pool Has Widened.  ,:~;=¤££##
#@¤%£$:~,,        Now Its Wolves See Further.       ,,~:$£%¤@#
##£#%§*~~¨                                          ¨~~*§%#£##
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