###@&$:~^¨                                          ¨^~:$&@###
##@&$:~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~:$&@##
###@&$:~^¨                                          ¨^~:$&@###
##@&$:~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~:$&@##
###@&$:~^¨                                          ¨^~:$&@###
##@&$:~^¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨^~:$&@##
###@&$:~^¨         : The Wolf pool Exists :         ¨^~:$&@###
##@&$:~^¨¨         : In A Stale Timeline, :         ¨¨^~:$&@##
###@&$:~^¨         :  Branched Way Back   :         ¨^~:$&@###
##@&$:~^¨¨         :  When Kirugu vargir  :         ¨¨^~:$&@##
###@&$:~^¨         :  Was Almost Barren,  :         ¨^~:$&@###
##@&$:~^¨¨ Comprised Mostly Of Rock And Arid Soil,  ¨¨^~:$&@##
###@&$:~^¨  And Plants Were Only Starting To Grow,  ¨^~:$&@###
##@&$:~^¨¨         :        At All...     :         ¨¨^~:$&@##
###@&$:~^¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨^~:$&@###
#@¤¤$*«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«*$¤¤@#
###@%$^-.¨     Misplaced Explorers Traverse The     ¨.-^$%@###
##§£%*»,.¨   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.        ¨¨:»*†§£##
###§%=\=^¨                                          ¨^=\=%§###
#@§*†\=,¨.                                          .¨,=\†*§@#
###&%§:»^,                                          ,^»:§%&###
#@@$*=»,,,                                          ,,,»=*$@@#
####$*:=^,                                          ,^=:*$####