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