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