........~;                                          ;~........
.......~;§                                          §;~.......
......~;§£                                          £§;~......
.....~;§£¤                                          ¤£§;~.....
....~;§£¤¶                                          ¶¤£§;~....
...~;§£¤¶#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #¶¤£§;~...
..~;§£¤¶##         ; 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.       ..¨,,,,.¨.
,...¨.¨..¨                                          ¨..¨.¨...,
.¨¨.,,..¨,                                          ,¨..,,.¨¨.
,,¨,,¨¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨¨,,¨,,
¨¨,,,¨,,,,                                          ,,,,¨,,,¨¨
.¨.,,.,,.¨                                          ¨.,,.,,.¨.