###£^*~^..                                          ..^~*^£###
####£^*~^.                                          .^~*^£####
###£^*~^..                                          ..^~*^£###
##£^*~^...                                          ...^~*^£##
###£^*~^..                                          ..^~*^£###
####£^*~^.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .^~*^£####
###£^*~^..         * 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.  ,¨,»/**#@#
##@@§$=-,,       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ,,-=$§@@##
##@£$=~~.¨                                          ¨.~~=$£@##
#££*/«.¨,,                                          ,,¨.«/*££#
#@#¤^^-..,                                          ,..-^^¤#@#
###@¤=†=,¨                                          ¨,=†=¤@###
#@#£†;~,,,                                          ,,,~;†£#@#