§$%^-~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~-^%$§
$%^-~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%$
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
$%^-~¨¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%$
§$%^-~¨¨¨¨         ^ The Wolf pool Exists ^         ¨¨¨¨~-^%$§
#§$%^-~¨¨¨         ^ In A Stale Timeline, ^         ¨¨¨~-^%$§#
##§$%^-~¨¨         ^  Branched Way Back   ^         ¨¨~-^%$§##
###§$%^-~¨         ^  When Kirugu vargir  ^         ¨~-^%$§###
##§$%^-~¨¨         ^  Was Almost Barren,  ^         ¨¨~-^%$§##
#§$%^-~¨¨¨  Comprised Mostly Of Rock And Arid Soil, ¨¨¨~-^%$§#
§$%^-~¨¨¨¨  And Plants Were Only Starting To Grow,  ¨¨¨¨~-^%$§
$%^-~¨¨¨¨¨         ^        At All...     ^         ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%$
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
†~,.¨¨¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨¨¨.,~†
†\=:¨.,¨¨¨     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. .   ¨..^~*^£&#
#$§*~,,¨.¨          «« .  === .  -¨  ~«  =          ¨.¨,,~*§$#
%†*»^,,,.¨    :   ,-          ,                ¨    ¨.,,,^»*†%
**-,....¨.        ,      ¨          ¨      $        .¨....,-**
*»,,.,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,.,,»*
%†~^¨¨¨,,,                   ,#,                    ,,,¨¨¨^~†%
%%\=:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:=\%%
¤$§=-:,¨,,                   And,                   ,,¨,:-=§$¤
#£*=†»,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,»†=*£#
##§$†^-^¨.  Now The Reach Of The Pool Has Widened.  .¨^-^†$§##
###§$†/~-,        Now Its Wolves See Further.       ,-~/†$§###
##£§%;~^.¨                                          ¨.^~;%§£##
##£=:~:¨.¨                                          ¨.¨:~:=£##
£§§†=~¨,,,                                          ,,,¨~=†§§£
%%=-^...¨,                                          ,¨...^-=%%
*=~,.,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,.,~=*