#@##¤==»:¨                                          ¨:»==¤##@#
@@##¤==»:¨                                          ¨:»==¤##@@
#@##¤==»:¨                                          ¨:»==¤##@#
#@##¤==»:¨                                          ¨:»==¤##@#
#¤=»»»»:¨¨                                          ¨¨:»»»»=¤#
#@##¤==»:¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨:»==¤##@#
@#¤===»»:¨         = 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.       ¨^»^%£§@@¶
@££;»..¨..                                          ..¨..»;££@
@#*/..¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨../*#@
£#@¤§^^~:.                                          .:~^^§¤@#£
£%†~,,.,¨,                                          ,¨,.,,~†%£
##¶&$§\«:¨                                          ¨:«\§$&¶##