#¤%=/»-...                                          ...-»/=%¤#
¤%=/»-....                                          ....-»/=%¤
%=/»-.....                                          .....-»/=%
=/»-......                                          ......-»/=
/»-.......                                          .......-»/
»-........         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ........-»
-.........         / 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.  ..¨-«;%@§@
##&$†=«-.,       Now Its Wolves See Further.        ,.-«=†$&##
##@#¤*†~^,                                          ,^~†*¤#@##
##&%%†~,¨.                                          .¨,~†%%&##
¶¤£^^«.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.«^^£¤¶
¤$*=~,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,~=*$¤
§=\«..¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨..«\=§