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