#@@¤$*/~..                                          ..~/*$¤@@#
@@¤$*/~...                                          ...~/*$¤@@
@¤$*/~....                                          ....~/*$¤@
@@¤$*/~...                                          ...~/*$¤@@
#@@¤$*/~..                                          ..~/*$¤@@#
@@¤$*/~...         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ...~/*$¤@@
@¤$*/~....         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ....~/*$¤@
@@¤$*/~...         / IN A STALE TIMELINE, /         ...~/*$¤@@
#@@¤$*/~..         /  BRANCHED WAY BACK   /         ..~/*$¤@@#
@@¤$*/~...         /  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  /         ...~/*$¤@@
@¤$*/~....         /  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  /         ....~/*$¤@
@@¤$*/~...  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ...~/*$¤@@
#@@¤$*/~..  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ..~/*$¤@@#
@@¤$*/~...         /        AT ALL...     /         ...~/*$¤@@
@¤$*/~....         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ....~/*$¤@
#@§@*=»,..                                          ..,»=*@§@#
##@&§§*=-¨     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.        ,,~-;%&#£@
#&@§†~-..¨                                          ¨..-~†§@&#
#£#%%\»,¨¨                                          ¨¨,»\%%#£#
#@¶@**;«:.                                          .:«;**@¶@#
#@#%%;~..,                                          ,..~;%%#@#
@&@§*-,.,.                                          .,.,-*§@&@