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