#@£§$$-...                                          ...-$$§£@#
##@£§$$-..                                          ..-$$§£@##
#@£§$$-...                                          ...-$$§£@#
@£§$$-....                                          ....-$$§£@
£§$$-.....                                          .....-$$§£
§$$-......         # -------------------- #         ......-$$§
$$-.......         † The Wolf pool Exists †         .......-$$
$-........         † In A Stale Timeline, †         ........-$
-.........         †  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.        ..,,=†&&£#
#@£§§^~..¨                                          ¨..~^§§£@#
###@§£*-,,                                          ,,-*£§@###
##@&£%»~..                                          ..~»%£&@##
@¶&%$».,¨.                                          .¨,.»$%&¶@
#§%%«:.,,.                                          .,,.:«%%§#