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