##^†~:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:~†^##
###^†~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~†^###
####^†~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~†^####
#####^†~:¨                                          ¨:~†^#####
####^†~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~†^####
###^†~:¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨:~†^###
##^†~:¨¨¨¨         † 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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£¤*\~,,.¨,                                          ,¨.,,~\*¤£
###%\»:¨,,    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.        ¨.,:~:%@¶@
@£$^=^.¨,,                                          ,,¨.^=^$£@
¤%†-.,.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.,.-†%¤
£@§†~.,,,,                                          ,,,,.~†§@£
@#@%*-..,¨                                          ¨,..-*%@#@
#@@&=*~~..                                          ..~~*=&@@#