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