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