#@£@*==,¨¨                                          ¨¨,==*@£@#
##@£@*==,¨                                          ¨,==*@£@##
#@£@*==,¨¨                                          ¨¨,==*@£@#
@£@*==,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,==*@£@
£@*==,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,==*@£
@*==,¨¨¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨¨¨,==*@
*==,¨¨¨¨¨¨         = 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.        .¨.:~=*¤##
#@£#*^«-¨,                                          ,¨-«^*#£@#
#####†^=.,                                          ,.=^†#####
##¶#%;-^..                                          ..^-;%#¶##
##§†;»:.¨¨                                          ¨¨.:»;†§##
#¤%;«,..,.                                          .,..,«;%¤#