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