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