#@#§$$:--.                                          .--:$$§#@#
@##§$$:--.                                          .--:$$§##@
#@#§$$:--.                                          .--:$$§#@#
§§§§$$:--.                                          .--:$$§§§§
§$:--.....                                          .....--:$§
#@#§$$:--.         # -------------------- #         .--:$$§#@#
##§$$$:--.         : The Wolf pool Exists :         .--:$$$§##
§§$---....         : In A Stale Timeline, :         ....---$§§
@§$$---...         :  Branched Way Back   :         ...---$$§@
##$:--....         :  When Kirugu vargir  :         ....--:$##
#@#§$$:--.         :  Was Almost Barren,  :         .--:$$§#@#
##@#§$:--.  Comprised Mostly Of Rock And Arid Soil, .--:$§#@##
###§$$:--.  And Plants Were Only Starting To Grow,  .--:$$§###
§$:------.         :        At All...     :         .------:$§
@#§$:-....         # -------------------- #         ....-:$§#@
#@%».¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨.»%@#
###&$*^«..     Misplaced Explorers Traverse The     ..«^*$&###
##@#§†=«,¨   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.        ¨,»=/^$@¶@
##@¤§*^~,¨                                          ¨,~^*§¤@##
@%$\:,,.,,                                          ,,.,,:\$%@
###&%†*~-.                                          .-~*†%&###
#@¶&%^;«,.                                          .,«;^%&¶@#
##£#£*:«,,                                          ,,«:*£#£##