#@¤¤::==^.                                          .^==::¤¤@#
£=====^...                                          ...^=====£
#£¤:^.....                                          .....^:¤£#
##@£¤=:=^.                                          .^=:=¤£@##
£===......                                          ......===£
##@£¤=:=^.         # ==================== #         .^=:=¤£@##
£==:=.....         : 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#@##  ¨¨,.-=$*%#
#@#¤£%\=^.   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE/-   .^=\%£¤#@#
@@%^=,,.¨.   »«BEING « STOLEN ~» FROM -»« THEM. ,   .¨.,,=^%@@
##¶#$†=-~,          -~ .  ~»- ¨  ~¨  ~»  =          ,~-=†$#¶##
###¶¤@†--,    ^   ~-          ,                ,    ,--†@¤¶###
###@**:~:.        ¨      ¨          .      =        .:~:**@###
£@¤§=^^=,.                                          .,=^^=§¤@£
££#&£%^»~.                    ¨#.                   .~»^%£&#££
#@##$%/=~,                                          ,~=/%$##@#
@#=;::,..,                   AND,                   ,..,::;=#@
@£#¤*§*-,.                                          .,-*§*¤#£@
#§£†,.,¨¨¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨¨¨,.,†£§#
@¶§^§=¨.¨,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,¨.¨=§^§¶@
¶&§¤$%^»~,                                          ,~»^%$¤§&¶
#@@£*%†=,.                                          .,=†%*£@@#
###¤%*:~:.                                          .:~:*%¤###
¤§#&&=^»-.                                          .-»^=&&#§¤
###@&*†«^¨                                          ¨^«†*&@###