#@£@£=†«~,                                          ,~«†=£@£@#
@££@£=†«~,                                          ,~«†=£@££@
@@==†«,,,,                                          ,,,,«†==@@
#@£@£=†«~,                                          ,~«†=£@£@#
£££=«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«=£££
#@£@£=†«~,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,~«†=£@£@#
##£@£=†«~,         † 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,                   ,¨¨,,»~$§#
##@&@^/-,¨                                          ¨,-/^@&@##
##@@£=;«,¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨,«;=£@@##
###£§††«,,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,,«††§£###
###¤*$:~,.                                          .,~:$*¤###
##¤£%~~=,,                                          ,,=~~%£¤##
£&¤%=«-,.,                                          ,.,-«=%¤&£
##££%%†~~.                                          .~~†%%££##
###@§$^~,.                                          .,~^$§@###