###§£§\-,.                                          .,-\§£§###
##§§£§\-,.                                          .,-\§£§§##
§£\\,.....                                          .....,\\£§
§£\,......                                          ......,\£§
###§£§\-,.                                          .,-\§£§###
§§\-,,....         # -------------------- #         ....,,-\§§
###§£§\-,.         \ 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.  ,-~†$*#@#@
##@#£^*~,¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨,~*^£#@##
£££%$«.¨,.                                          .,¨.«$%£££
##£&$^;»,¨                                          ¨,»;^$&£##
##@#%††»~.                                          .~»††%#@##
¤$*†^~.,.,                                          ,.,.~^†*$¤
@¤$%§=..¨¨                                          ¨¨..=§%$¤@