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