¤¤£==^~~:.                                          .:~~^==£¤¤
#@¤¤£=^~:.                                          .:~^=£¤¤@#
¤=^^^~:...                                          ...:~^^^=¤
##@¤£=^~:.                                          .:~^=£¤@##
¤¤¤£=~~~:.                                          .:~~~=£¤¤¤
##@¤£=^~:.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .:~^=£¤@##
¤¤==^:::..         ^ 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,%#  ¨~~^*$@@¶£
@§/*=..¨,,  #&OF@THE£WAY#HOME£#TO£THE#TIME@FROM¶@   ,,¨..=*/§@
#@#&£§/=~,   #¶WHERE#THEY@CAME,###@@##AND@THEN@###  ,~=/§£&#@#
&£†~..¨¨..   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE\-   ..¨¨..~†£&
@##@£†^~:,   »~BEING ~ STOLEN »= FROM ~~- THEM. ,   ,:~^†£@##@
£$=†:†=«,,          »= ¨  ~-» ¨  -¨  ~=  ~          ,,«=†:†=$£
@@@§$$=-,,    ~   ,.          ~                ¨    ,,-=$$§@@@
&#$*~^¨..¨        ¨      .          ,      $        ¨..¨^~*$#&
#@#¤*%/~-¨                                          ¨-~/%*¤#@#
¤@$~-.¨¨..                    ,#,                   ..¨¨.-~$@¤
@§&£$=¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨=$£&§@
#@£@@%*«,.                   AND,                   .,«*%@@£@#
###@@%*^,,                                          ,,^*%@@###
#@#£&†/«,.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .,«/†&£#@#
#£%^«~~,¨,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,¨,~~«^%£#
##@£#&†/,.                                          .,/†&#£@##
#@@#%$;-.¨                                          ¨.-;$%#@@#
@§£§=†.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.†=§£§@
##¶¤%†^«..                                          ..«^†%¤¶##
@#@§¤*==-.                                          .-==*¤§@#@