###&&$^-~¨                                          ¨~-^$&&###
&&$^^-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-^^$&&
###&&$^-~¨                                          ¨~-^$&&###
###&&$^-~¨                                          ¨~-^$&&###
&&$----¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨----$&&
&&$^-~¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨~-^$&&
###&&$^-~¨         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ¨~-^$&&###
&&&^~¨¨¨¨¨         ^ 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.       ¨,~:$¤§###
#££=^-,,.¨                                          ¨.,,-^=££#
#¶$^:~-,.¨                                          ¨.,-~:^$¶#
@£%«¨¨..,,                                          ,,..¨¨«%£@
@%$£=%=»..                                          ..»=%=£$%@
@#*»-»«~,.                                          .,~«»-»*#@