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