.,-^§@£@@#                                          #@@£@§^-,.
....,--^@£                                          £@^--,....
.,-^§@£@@@                                          @@@£@§^-,.
.,-^^^@£££                                          £££@^^^-,.
.,,,--^@£@                                          @£@^--,,,.
...,,,^§§£         # -------------------- #         £§§^,,,...
.,-^§@£@##         ^ 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.        ££§^^:~«:¨
..,-,»§@§@                                          @§@§»,-,..
¨^»:*§&£##                                          ##£&§*:»^¨
,^~;†¤§###                                          ###§¤†;~^,
.-«:/*$&¤@                                          @¤&$*/:«-.
,¨,,†*\%@#                                          #@%\*†,,¨,