#@@@$$^-~¨                                          ¨~-^$$@@@#
@@@@$$^-~¨                                          ¨~-^$$@@@@
@$^--~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~--^$@
#@@@$$^-~¨                                          ¨~-^$$@@@#
@@@$$$^-~¨                                          ¨~-^$$$@@@
@$^^^^^-~¨         # -------------------- #         ¨~-^^^^^$@
#@@@$$^-~¨         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ¨~-^$$@@@#
#@@@$$^-~¨         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ¨~-^$$@@@#
@@@@$$^-~¨         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ¨~-^$$@@@@
@@@$$$^-~¨         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ¨~-^$$$@@@
#@@@$$^-~¨         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         ¨~-^$$@@@#
#@@@$$^-~¨  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨~-^$$@@@#
@$^-¨¨¨¨¨¨  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¨¨¨¨¨¨-^$@
@@$^--¨¨¨¨         ^        AT ALL...     ^         ¨¨¨¨--^$@@
@@@@$$^-~¨         # -------------------- #         ¨~-^$$@@@@
##£&*§==,.                                          .,==§*&£##
###£&*\»~¨     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.       ,,.=«;£¤@£
@£&^=-...¨                                          ¨...-=^&£@
###@£=/»~¨                                          ¨~»/=£@###
@@$;~~¨,,,                                          ,,,¨~~;$@@
#§@£%*=»-.                                          .-»=*%£@§#
¤§$%@**~:.                                          .:~**@%$§¤