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