#@@£$§\«^,                                          ,^«\§$£@@#
@$\«^^^,,,                                          ,,,^^^«\$@
@@£$\\^,,,                                          ,,,^\\$£@@
£$$\\\«^^,                                          ,^^«\\\$$£
@@@£$§\«^,                                          ,^«\§$£@@@
@$\«,,,,,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,,,,,«\$@
@£§«^,,,,,         \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \         ,,,,,^«§£@
@$§§§§\«^,         \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \         ,^«\§§§§$@
@@$§§§\«^,         \  BRANCHED WAY BACK   \         ,^«\§§§$@@
#@@£$§\«^,         \  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  \         ,^«\§$£@@#
£$§§\\^,,,         \  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  \         ,,,^\\§§$£
@$$$§\^,,,  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.  ,,~^*$@@@@
#¶@@%%†~.¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨.~†%%@@¶#
###£&§:-^¨                                          ¨^-:§&£###
@£*/»,.¨,.                                          .,¨.,»/*£@
££%^»=,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,=»^%££
###£%§†=,,                                          ,,=†§%£###
###¶#¤$^~:                                          :~^$¤#¶###