#@£§**^=:.                                          .:=^**§£@#
#@£§**^=:.                                          .:=^**§£@#
#@£§**^=:.                                          .:=^**§£@#
£§**=.....                                          .....=**§£
#@£§**^=:.                                          .:=^**§£@#
#@£§**^=:.         # ==================== #         .:=^**§£@#
#@£§**^=:.         ^ 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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@&¤=~=«:,.                                          .,:«=~=¤&@