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