¤¤¤¤£§:«^.                                          .^«:§£¤¤¤¤
##¶¤£§:«^.                                          .^«:§£¤¶##
##¶¤£§:«^.                                          .^«:§£¤¶##
##¶¤£§:«^.                                          .^«:§£¤¶##
¶¶£§§««...                                          ...««§§£¶¶
#¶£:^.....         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         .....^:£¶#
##¶¤£§:«^.         : 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.        ¨~«\*£¤¶##
@§§*:--,¨.                                          .¨,--:*§§@
##¶¤%^=~:¨                                          ¨:~=^%¤¶##
@¤&;†;»::.                                          .::»;†;&¤@
@@%*.¨.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.¨.*%@@
###@@*:=-.                                          .-=:*@@###