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