=~:.......                                          .......:~=
†=~:......                                          ......:~=†
$†=~:.....                                          .....:~=†$
§$†=~:....                                          ....:~=†$§
#§$†=~:...                                          ...:~=†$§#
@#§$†=~:..         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ..:~=†$§#@
#@#§$†=~:.         = The Wolf pool Exists =         .:~=†$§#@#
@#§$†=~:..         = In A Stale Timeline, =         ..:~=†$§#@
#§$†=~:...         =  Branched Way Back   =         ...:~=†$§#
§$†=~:....         =  When Kirugu vargir  =         ....:~=†$§
$†=~:.....         =  Was Almost Barren,  =         .....:~=†$
†=~:...... 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.       .¨,,.¨¨.¨.
~¨,¨,¨....                                          ....¨,¨,¨~
»-...,...¨                                          ¨...,...-»
/»,,.,....                                          ....,.,,»/
**«,,.,,,¨                                          ¨,,,.,,«**
&*:~.,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,.~:*&