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