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