@@%†~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~†%@@
#@¶@$%†~^,                                          ,^~†%$@¶@#
##@¶@%†~^,                                          ,^~†%@¶@##
#@¶@$%†~^,                                          ,^~†%$@¶@#
#@¶@$%†~^,                                          ,^~†%$@¶@#
¶¶¶@$%†~^,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,^~†%$@¶¶¶
@@¶@$%†~^,         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ,^~†%$@¶@@
#@¶@$%†~^,         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ,^~†%$@¶@#
¶@@@$%†~^,         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ,^~†%$@@@¶
#@¶@$%†~^,         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ,^~†%$@¶@#
#@¶@$%†~^,         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ,^~†%$@¶@#
#@¶@$%†~^,  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,^~†%$@¶@#
@%~^,,,,,,  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.       .,..,:~-†¤
#¤%*~¨,,.¨                                          ¨.,,¨~*%¤#
#@@§%%^«,¨                                          ¨,«^%%§@@#
@&*†^^,..¨                                          ¨..,^^†*&@
##£¤¤†=«-,                                          ,-«=†¤¤£##
#@££%$\»^,                                          ,^»\$%££@#