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