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