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