*«-.......                                          .......-«*
«-........                                          ........-«
-.........                                          .........-
..........                                          ..........
-.........                                          .........-
«-........         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ........-«
*«-.......         * 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.       ¨¨,,:»**¤#
$†=~-¨,.,.                                          .,.,¨-~=†$
$/=,,¨¨..¨                                          ¨..¨¨,,=/$
^~^,..,.¨,                                          ,¨.,..,^~^
»-,,¨..,,,                                          ,,,..¨,,-»
,,¨.¨,.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.,¨.¨,,