##@&&$:«,,                                          ,,«:$&&@##
&$««,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,««$&
#&&:,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,:&&#
##@&&$:«,,                                          ,,«:$&&@##
##@&&$:«,,                                          ,,«:$&&@##
###@&$:«,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,«:$&@###
@@@&&$:«,,         : The Wolf pool Exists :         ,,«:$&&@@@
##@&&$:«,,         : In A Stale Timeline, :         ,,«:$&&@##
@&$«,,,,,,         :  Branched Way Back   :         ,,,,,,«$&@
##@&&$:«,,         :  When Kirugu vargir  :         ,,«:$&&@##
&&:«,,,,,,         :  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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##&%/-....                                          ....-/%&##
£¤%«~,¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨,~«%¤£