¤%$†~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~†$%¤
%$†~.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.~†$%
$†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†$
%$†~.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.~†$%
¤%$†~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~†$%¤
¶¤%$†~.¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨.~†$%¤¶
#¶¤%$†~.¨¨         † The Wolf pool Exists †         ¨¨.~†$%¤¶#
##¶¤%$†~.¨         † In A Stale Timeline, †         ¨.~†$%¤¶##
#¶¤%$†~.¨¨         †  Branched Way Back   †         ¨¨.~†$%¤¶#
¶¤%$†~.¨¨¨         †  When Kirugu vargir  †         ¨¨¨.~†$%¤¶
¤%$†~.¨¨¨¨         †  Was Almost Barren,  †         ¨¨¨¨.~†$%¤
%$†~.¨¨¨¨¨  Comprised Mostly Of Rock And Arid Soil, ¨¨¨¨¨.~†$%
$†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨  And Plants Were Only Starting To Grow,  ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†$
%$†~.¨¨¨¨¨         †        At All...     †         ¨¨¨¨¨.~†$%
¤%$†~.¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨.~†$%¤
£@&$/~:¨.,                                          ,.¨:~/$&@£
#£#¤*^»,.¨     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.       .,..»/%$§@
£%*\»~,,,,                                          ,,,,~»\*%£
¤%^»:¨,,,.                                          .,,,¨:»^%¤
$\«:.¨.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.¨.:«\$
%*†~:,¨,.,                                          ,.,¨,:~†*%
&&*:~^¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨^~:*&&