#@@†«-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-«†@@#
¤*†††-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-†††*¤
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##@¤@*†«-¨                                          ¨-«†*@¤@##
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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.           .^~:*£&#@#
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&%^«:.,¨.¨                   ,#¨                    ¨.¨,.:«^%&
##£#£=\=,.                                          .,=\=£#£##
@&¤§£=;«~¨     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.      ,,¨,,¨»††¤
#@£&£*;~-¨                                          ¨-~;*£&£@#
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#@@#$=†«.¨   Close, And He Quickly Gives Up As The  ¨.«†=$#@@#
#@£§£*^«~¨  Liquid Flows Into His Mind. The Others, ¨~«^*£§£@#
##@§$*^=^.   ~ Not Understanding The-Danger, Move   .^=^*$§@##
##@&$$\«,¨       Closer To Help Their¨Friend.       ¨,«\$$&@##
#*=~¨,,¨.,       .      =    =            ^ .       ,.¨,,¨~=*#
#@*/:¨.,¨.    And.Then¨The.Pool,Announces¨Itself    .¨,.¨:/*@#
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##¶@£†;=,.    »»«The«Pool,»Surrounding*Them:-;;:    .,=;†£@¶##
###£%*†-~.     =Sudden/Thoughts;Of«~\Climbing/%*    .~-†*%£###
###£@=;»-.   Into*The=Pool,†Their$Thirst$Flaring%   .-»;=@£###
£%\;=»,¨¨,    =§^Bright*-§$A&Sudden%¤Awareness#     ,¨¨,»=;\%£
&&*†=«=...  #&Of£@Exactly££How#They¤Had£Traveled,£# ...=«=†*&&
£¶£/~»:¨.¨  #¤Of&The#Way#Home##To@The@Time#From@£   ¨.¨:»~/£¶£
£&*^=:,,.¨   ##Where#They#Came,##@@@@#And#Then###@  ¨.,,:=^*&£
###@&%:--¨   #####The#Feeling#Of#This§Knowledge*=   ¨--:%&@###
##¶@*%\-,,   -«Being = Stolen »~ From «»= Them. ¨   ,,-\%*@¶##
@&@*%-,~¨.          ~~ ¨  === ,  ~,  :«  «          .¨~,-%*@&@
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##@@@**»-¨        ¨      .          ¨      ^        ¨-»**@@@##
£=*-,,,,..                                          ..,,,,-*=£
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@¶¤%%^:~-,                                          ,-~:^%%¤¶@
@#@$-¨¨¨,,                   And,                   ,,¨¨¨-$@#@
#@@&%*^«~.                                          .~«^*%&@@#
##@&£§/~,¨  Now The Reach Of The Pool Has Widened.  ¨,~/§£&@##
§§»~-,¨.¨¨        Now Its Wolves See Further.       ¨¨.¨,-~»§§
##@¶%=^»:¨                                          ¨:»^=%¶@##
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