###£$†\=^.                                          .^=\†$£###
####$†\=^.                                          .^=\†$####
£$\^......                                          ......^\$£
###£$†\=^.                                          .^=\†$£###
###£$†\=^.                                          .^=\†$£###
###£$†\=^.         # ==================== #         .^=\†$£###
###£$†\=^.         \ 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.       ¨¨,.,.:*§£
###¤£$==.¨                                          ¨.==$£¤###
###@*§:«:¨                                          ¨:«:§*@###
¶&££*»~,,¨                                          ¨,,~»*££&¶
###¶$$/~,,                                          ,,~/$$¶###
###£§=*»,¨                                          ¨,»*=§£###