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