##*:----,.                                          .,----:*##
####*^:-,.                                          .,-:^*####
####*^:-,.                                          .,-:^*####
###^-,....                                          ....,-^###
#*^-,.....                                          .....,-^*#
####*^:-,.         # -------------------- #         .,-:^*####
####*^:-,.         : 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.       .,,¨,~»§&#
@#¤&@=:=-.                                          .-=:=@&¤#@
###£$*^»-.                                          .-»^*$£###
#@#££*^-:.                                          .:-^*££#@#
##@&*$*«-.                                          .-«*$*&@##
###£&^^=,.                                          .,=^^&£###