@@@@$^:~:,                                          ,:~:^$@@@@
@$$^^^:~:,                                          ,:~:^^^$$@
@$:~:,,,,,                                          ,,,,,:~:$@
#@@@$^:~:,                                          ,:~:^$@@@#
@^::::,,,,                                          ,,,,::::^@
@@$$:~,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,~:$$@@
@@@$^^:~:,         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         ,:~:^^$@@@
#@@@$^:~:,         : IN A STALE TIMELINE, :         ,:~:^$@@@#
@@^^~,,,,,         :  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.       ,.»^=*%**£
#@£@£§*=-,                                          ,-=*§£@£@#
#$:=¨¨,,,.                                          .,,,¨¨=:$#
###@§$*/«,                                          ,«/*$§@###
###§£%;-:,                                          ,:-;%£§###
###@£*:~.¨                                          ¨.~:*£@###