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