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