#@@§£^†~,.                                          .,~†^£§@@#
§£^^††~...                                          ...~††^^£§
###@§^†~,.                                          .,~†^§@###
##@§£^†~,.                                          .,~†^£§@##
#§£££^†~,.                                          .,~†^£££§#
@§§§£^†~,.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .,~†^£§§§@
§§££††,...         † 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.        ..«/§&@@##
¤§/«,...,¨                                          ¨,...,«/§¤
#@%;\~,.,,                                          ,,.,~\;%@#
#¤##£=^--¨                                          ¨--^=£##¤#
¶@$%*^~,,,                                          ,,,~^*%$@¶
#¤\~.¨...¨                                          ¨...¨.~\¤#