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