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