###£%:~.,,                                          ,,.~:%£###
####£%:~.,                                          ,.~:%£####
###£%:~.,,                                          ,,.~:%£###
##£%:~.,,,                                          ,,,.~:%£##
#£%:~.,,,,                                          ,,,,.~:%£#
£%:~.,,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,,.~:%£
%:~.,,,,,,         : 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.  ¨,¨.,.-~/£
&$;-,¨..,.        Now Its Wolves See Further.       .,..¨,-;$&
#§$/~-¨,,.                                          .,,¨-~/$§#
#@§$;~,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,~;$§@#
#@#@£†~~.,                                          ,.~~†£@#@#
##@#§§\»,¨                                          ¨,»\§§#@##
#@@@%=»:.¨                                          ¨.:»=%@@@#