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