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