##@§$**~~.                                          .~~**$§@##
##@§$**~~.                                          .~~**$§@##
##@§$**~~.                                          .~~**$§@##
§**~......                                          ......~**§
@@§****~~.                                          .~~****§@@
@§***~~...         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ...~~***§@
##@§$**~~.         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         .~~**$§@##
##@§$**~~.         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         .~~**$§@##
#@@§$**~~.         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         .~~**$§@@#
##@§$**~~.         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         .~~**$§@##
@$**~.....         *  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  *         .....~**$@
###@$**~~. COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  .~~**$@###
##@§$**~~.  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  .~~**$§@##
##@§$**~~.         *        AT ALL...     *         .~~**$§@##
##@§$**~~.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .~~**$§@##
##£#$*=«:,                                          ,:«=*$#£##
#¤$*-=:,¨¨     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     ¨¨,:=-*$¤#
##@£$$:«,.   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   .,«:$$£@##
#@£¤&†;-,.  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.        ¨¨.,¨,«\*&
¶¤@$§~^..,                                          ,..^~§$@¤¶
£&==~¨..¨.                                          .¨..¨~==&£
£@%/†~¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨~†/%@£
@@£§=¨..,¨                                          ¨,..¨=§£@@
£#@£^$/~,,                                          ,,~/$^£@#£