###§¤§=«,,                                          ,,«=§¤§###
#££§¤§=«,,                                          ,,«=§¤§££#
##£§¤§=«,,                                          ,,«=§¤§£##
##£§¤§=«,,                                          ,,«=§¤§£##
§§=,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,=§§
##£§¤§=«,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,«=§¤§£##
££§§¤§=«,,         = 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.     .,,..¨~:%&
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¶$$-«.¨,.¨                    ,#.                   ¨.,¨.«-$$¶
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#@$§$=/~,,    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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##£&£*^~.,                   ,#¨                    ,.~^*£&£##
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###¶*=^=~,                   And,                   ,~=^=*¶###
@&§*=:~«:,                                          ,:«~:=*§&@
##£§£%\«:,  Now The Reach Of The Pool Has Widened.  ,:«\%£§£##
#@¶§$^†=-¨       Now Its Wolves See Further.        ¨-=†^$§¶@#
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##£@&†^=,,                                          ,,=^†&@£##
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