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