*;«~......                                          ......~«;*
$*;«~.....                                          .....~«;*$
§$*;«~....                                          ....~«;*$§
£§$*;«~...                                          ...~«;*$§£
@£§$*;«~..                                          ..~«;*$§£@
#@£§$*;«~.         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         .~«;*$§£@#
@£§$*;«~..         ; The Wolf pool Exists ;         ..~«;*$§£@
£§$*;«~...         ; In A Stale Timeline, ;         ...~«;*$§£
§$*;«~....         ;  Branched Way Back   ;         ....~«;*$§
$*;«~.....         ;  When Kirugu vargir  ;         .....~«;*$
*;«~......         ;  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.        ,,=:†%&#@#
@£#£*/-,,,                                          ,,,-/*£#£@
£@$%†=,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,=†%$@£
££^\«..,..                                          ..,..«\^££
*$=«~.,¨,,                                          ,,¨,.~«=$*
=\»~,,.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.,,~»\=