##£££%*~^.                                          .^~*%£££##
#£££%*~^..                                          ..^~*%£££#
##£££%*~^.                                          .^~*%£££##
#£££%*~^..                                          ..^~*%£££#
##£££%*~^.                                          .^~*%£££##
#£££%*~^..         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ..^~*%£££#
##£££%*~^.         * 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.        ¨,-»†=$&£#
###¤**\--.                                          .--\**¤###
#¶¤£%*~~¨,                                          ,¨~~*%£¤¶#
##@¤¤†==.¨                                          ¨.==†¤¤@##
###£*=«,.,                                          ,.,«=*£###
##@@¤%†=~¨                                          ¨~=†%¤@@##