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