##££*%;=,,                                          ,,=;%*££##
##££*%;=,,                                          ,,=;%*££##
##££*%;=,,                                          ,,=;%*££##
##££*%;=,,                                          ,,=;%*££##
£*%====,,,                                          ,,,====%*£
##££*%;=,,         # ==================== #         ,,=;%*££##
##££*%;=,,         ; 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.        ¨.,.-;££&£
&*\:.¨¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨¨.:\*&
###&%*\-^.                                          .^-\*%&###
#&%^,^:¨..                                          ..¨:^,^%&#
@££*«^,,¨.                                          .¨,,^«*££@
##@#¤^/»,¨                                          ¨,»/^¤#@##