##@¤§%†«^¨                                          ¨^«†%§¤@##
#@¤§%†«^¨¨                                          ¨¨^«†%§¤@#
@¤§%†«^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^«†%§¤@
#@¤§%†«^¨¨                                          ¨¨^«†%§¤@#
##@¤§%†«^¨                                          ¨^«†%§¤@##
#@¤§%†«^¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨^«†%§¤@#
@¤§%†«^¨¨¨         † 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^-   .¨.,»*^$§#
#@@§^:«~.,   -~Being = Stolen ~» From =~- Them. .   ,.~«:^§@@#
###£&=/=,.          ~= .  =~~ ¨  ~,  ,«  «          .,=/=&£###
#@££†\~-.¨    -   ^,          :                ,    ¨.-~\†££@#
#¤%*;=,,,,        ¨      ¨          .      *        ,,,,=;*%¤#
##@§$:»-¨,                                          ,¨-»:$§@##
##@&*†/»~¨                    .#,                   ¨~»/†*&@##
##&¤%^«,..                                          ..,«^%¤&##
¶#%%;~-.,,                   And,                   ,,.-~;%%#¶
#@¤%†;-:¨,                                          ,¨:-;†%¤@#
##££&§†~^.  Now The Reach Of The Pool Has Widened.  .^~†§&££##
#£&§**=:..        Now Its Wolves See Further.       ..:=**§&£#
@&$†:-,,..                                          ..,,-:†$&@
##&&^\~~,,                                          ,,~~\^&&##
####§%=»,,                                          ,,»=%§####
##&$*/»-¨¨                                          ¨¨-»/*$&##
¶§£§==^.¨¨                                          ¨¨.^==§£§¶