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