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