@¤£%;=....                                          ....=;%£¤@
¤£%;=.....                                          .....=;%£¤
£%;=......                                          ......=;%£
%;=.......                                          .......=;%
;=........                                          ........=;
%;=.......         # ==================== #         .......=;%
£%;=......         ; 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.  .,¨-~†%£##
@#§¤$=-:,.        Now Its Wolves See Further.       .,:-=$¤§#@
#@#¤%=†~.¨                                          ¨.~†=%¤#@#
#¶@$%^~~.¨                                          ¨.~~^%$@¶#
£§£%:=^¨,,                                          ,,¨^=:%£§£
§§=*=.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.=*=§§
$§=-,,¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨,,-=§$