#£%^-~,,,,                                          ,,,,~-^%£#
##£%^-~,,,                                          ,,,~-^%£##
###£%^-~,,                                          ,,~-^%£###
####£%^-~,                                          ,~-^%£####
###£%^-~,,                                          ,,~-^%£###
##£%^-~,,,         # -------------------- #         ,,,~-^%£##
#£%^-~,,,,         ^ 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,                   ,.¨,~-\%$#
%*†=.,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,.=†*%
=^~,.¨.,¨¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨¨,.¨.,~^=
;--¨..,,¨.        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       .¨,,..¨--;
^*~,.¨.,¨.                                          .¨,.¨.,~*^
%%=~:,.,,,                                          ,,,.,:~=%%
@@=†»~¨..,                                          ,..¨~»†=@@
#£@$^»,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,»^$@£#
##@$=:=.¨.                                          .¨.=:=$@##