##@@*$==~. .~==$*@@##
@*$=~~.... ....~~=$*@
###@@*$=~. .~=$*@@###
#@@@*$==~. .~==$*@@@#
#@**=~.... ....~=**@#
##@@*$==~. # ==================== # .~==$*@@##
###@@*==~. = 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. ,,.¨.¨»*§&
¤%-¨¨..,¨, ,¨,..¨¨-%¤
###£%*\-,, ,,-\*%£###
@&@#%*;-~¨ ¨~-;*%#@&@
@&§$@^:»-. .-»:^@$§&@
###@¤†=«,, ,,«=†¤@###