#@#@@=^=~¨                                          ¨~=^=@@#@#
@@@@@=^=~¨                                          ¨~=^=@@@@@
##@@@=^=~¨                                          ¨~=^=@@@##
@@@@^~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~^@@@@
#@#@@=^=~¨                                          ¨~=^=@@#@#
#@#@@=^=~¨         # ==================== #         ¨~=^=@@#@#
##@@@=^=~¨         ^ 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#    ¨,~*^@¤##@
##@£$*:«~,  #@Of*§Exactly&@How#They¤Had#Traveled,$# ,~«:*$£@##
#@@£*%^-:.   #@Of£The£Way£Home¶£To@The@Time£From£@  .:-^%*£@@#
###§%%\~:,   #@Where#They@Came,#@####@And#Then###@  ,:~\%%§###
##@¤¤§†«^.   #####The#Feeling#Of#This=Knowledge==   .^«†§¤¤@##
#%§/^,,,,¨   =»Being = Stolen ~» From «»~ Them. ,   ¨,,,,^/§%#
&%*::..¨¨.          ~~ ¨  »»« .  =¨  ~«  «          .¨¨..::*%&
¶#$;:,.,¨,    ^   ~,          .                ¨    ,¨,.,:;$#¶
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##¶#**/«^,                                          ,^«/**#¶##
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##@&¤^†=,¨                                          ¨,=†^¤&@##
#@@¤%§:~~.                   And,                   .~~:§%¤@@#
#@£&£%*=~,                                          ,~=*%£&£@#
&@#$%-~=:,  Now The Reach Of The Pool Has Widened.  ,:=~-%$#@&
¶%^†-=,,.,        Now Its Wolves See Further.       ,.,,=-†^%¶
£@@*/«-.,,                                          ,,.-«/*@@£
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###£%*/-:¨                                          ¨:-/*%£###
@§*;-.¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨.-;*§@