##£@%**-,¨                                          ¨,-**%@£##
@£%-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-%£@
@£%-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-%£@
##@#£%*-,¨                                          ¨,-*%£#@##
#@#£@%*-,¨                                          ¨,-*%@£#@#
#@#£@%*-,¨         # -------------------- #         ¨,-*%@£#@#
@@#£@%*-,¨         * 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.        ,¨¨.,«^:%§
##&#£§/~-.                                          .-~/§£#&##
#@@@%%=«.,                                          ,.«=%%@@@#
§†=-..,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,..-=†§
#@$%$/:--,                                          ,--:/$%$@#
@£&%~,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,~%&£@