##@£**~^,,                                          ,,^~**£@##
#@£**~^,,,                                          ,,,^~**£@#
@£**~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~**£@
#@£**~^,,,                                          ,,,^~**£@#
##@£**~^,,                                          ,,^~**£@##
###@£**~^,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,^~**£@###
##@£**~^,,         * 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.  ,¨¨¨-=††%@
#£$†:»~¨¨¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨¨¨~»:†$£#
###**;»,.,                                          ,.,»;**###
###£*$\~,¨                                          ¨,~\$*£###
##@§%=»:,.                                          .,:»=%§@##
@£@%:-~¨¨,                                          ,¨¨~-:%@£@
@£††=,.,¨.                                          .¨,.,=††£@