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