###@£†\~,¨                                          ¨,~\†£@###
#££†\~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~\†££#
##£££†\~,¨                                          ¨,~\†£££##
##@@£†\~,¨                                          ¨,~\†£@@##
#££\\~~~,¨                                          ¨,~~~\\££#
###@£†\~,¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨,~\†£@###
###@£†\~,¨         \ 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.        .,¨,==%%##
#@@#§=*=-,                                          ,-=*=§#@@#
##@££*^~:¨                                          ¨:~^*££@##
##@&%††~^.                                          .^~††%&@##
£@¤^~~.:¨,                                          ,¨:.~~^¤@£
##@&£$=--.                                          .--=$£&@##