#@£$=^~~,,                                          ,,~~^=$£@#
@£$=^~~,,,                                          ,,,~~^=$£@
#@£$=^~~,,                                          ,,~~^=$£@#
##@£$=^~~,                                          ,~~^=$£@##
#@£$=^~~,,                                          ,,~~^=$£@#
@£$=^~~,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,~~^=$£@
#@£$=^~~,,         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ,,~~^=$£@#
##@£$=^~~,         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ,~~^=$£@##
#@£$=^~~,,         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ,,~~^=$£@#
@£$=^~~,,,         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ,,,~~^=$£@
#@£$=^~~,,         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         ,,~~^=$£@#
##@£$=^~~,  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,~~^=$£@##
#@£$=^~~,,  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ,,~~^=$£@#
@£$=^~~,,,         ^        AT ALL...     ^         ,,,~~^=$£@
#@£$=^~~,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,~~^=$£@#
###£§^:~,¨                                          ¨,~:^§£###
#@#%§†=~,¨     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.  ...~/^@#@#
@@$%*-:...        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ...:-*%$@@
###$$^~~..                                          ..~~^$$###
###@£§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§£@###
##£*§;~,¨.                                          .¨,~;§*£##
@@£%\«.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.«\%£@@
##£$§=--..                                          ..--=§$£##