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