#¤£=*«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«*=£¤#
¤£=*«~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~«*=£¤
£=*«~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~«*=£
=*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*=
*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*
«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«
*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         * 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.        ¨,.=:*¤£@#
¶£*%^~-,.,                                          ,.,-~^%*£¶
&@§=»:.¨.,                                          ,.¨.:»=§@&
@§:»,,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,,»:§@
§/=.¨.¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨.¨.=/§
;~,,.,..,,                                          ,,..,.,,~;