##@&£†^«,,                                          ,,«^†£&@##
#@&£†^«,,,                                          ,,,«^†£&@#
@&£†^«,,,,                                          ,,,,«^†£&@
#@&£†^«,,,                                          ,,,«^†£&@#
##@&£†^«,,                                          ,,«^†£&@##
#@&£†^«,,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,,«^†£&@#
@&£†^«,,,,         ^ 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.       .¨~«^^%&¶#
#&&=^~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~^=&&#
#¶@§†\~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~\†§@¶#
###&¤†^«,¨                                          ¨,«^†¤&###
##@*$\~,,,                                          ,,,~\$*@##
¶#£§:~..¨¨                                          ¨¨..~:§£#¶