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