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