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