@#§=^=,,,,                                          ,,,,=^=§#@
#§=^=,,,,,                                          ,,,,,=^=§#
§=^=,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,=^=§
#§=^=,,,,,                                          ,,,,,=^=§#
@#§=^=,,,,                                          ,,,,=^=§#@
#@#§=^=,,,         # ==================== #         ,,,=^=§#@#
##@#§=^=,,         ^ 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.  ,.¨.-^†£##
#@¶§$\«...        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ...«\$§¶@#
###¶§^/~~,                                          ,~~/^§¶###
##££††-.,.                                          .,.-††££##
#¶£$*«,,¨,                                          ,¨,,«*$£¶#
#%=/«~¨.,,                                          ,,.¨~«/=%#
*§*=,¨.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.¨,=*§*