@@@*/~:... ...:~/*@@@
@@*/~:.... ....:~/*@@
@*/~:..... .....:~/*@
*/~:...... ......:~/*
/~:....... .......:~/
~:........ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ........:~
:......... / 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. .,¨,.¨¨.~~
-¨,,¨,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,¨,,¨-
~^¨.¨.,,.. ..,,.¨.¨^~
;~-¨¨,,,,. .,,,,¨¨-~;
^:~:..,.¨. .¨.,..:~:^
$^^~^..,,. .,,..^~^^$