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