@@=^--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--^=@@
@=^--¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨--^=@
@=====^«-¨                                          ¨-«^=====@
###@£=^«-¨                                          ¨-«^=£@###
#@=««¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨««=@#
##@@£=^«-¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨-«^=£@@##
@@££^^---¨         ^ 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.        .,..¨»†*£@
£$*~=»-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-»=~*$£
§§§†~¨,.¨,                                          ,¨.,¨~†§§§
#@£@$§/=^¨                                          ¨^=/§$@£@#
#@£££*=«,¨                                          ¨,«=*£££@#
###@#*\~,.                                          .,~\*#@###