@¤¤†^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^†¤¤@
##@@¤§†=^¨                                          ¨^=†§¤@@##
###@@§†=^¨                                          ¨^=†§@@###
@¤§§=^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^=§§¤@
#@¤¤§=^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^=§¤¤@#
###@@¤§†^¨         # ==================== #         ¨^†§¤@@###
@¤†=^¨¨¨¨¨         † 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.  .¨¨¨«%*§@£
#@£¤$=:«-¨        Now Its Wolves See Further.       ¨-«:=$¤£@#
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####*††-.,                                          ,.-††*####