@%%†~~~^..                                          ..^~~~†%%@
###@%*†~^.                                          .^~†*%@###
@@@@%*†~^.                                          .^~†*%@@@@
##@@%*†~^.                                          .^~†*%@@##
#@@@%*†~^.                                          .^~†*%@@@#
@%††^.....         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .....^††%@
@@@%%*†~^.         † 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.        .,~/*%@###
#@#&**=»-,                                          ,-»=**&#@#
§&%«^^.,..                                          ..,.^^«%&§
###&%%†~~.                                          .~~†%%&###
@=§%=:,,¨,                                          ,¨,,:=%§=@
##@@%=*~,,                                          ,,~*=%@@##