#£^:«,....                                          ....,«:^£#
##£^:«,...                                          ...,«:^£##
###£^:«,..                                          ..,«:^£###
####£^:«,.                                          .,«:^£####
###£^:«,..                                          ..,«:^£###
##£^:«,...         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ...,«:^£##
#£^:«,....         : 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.       .¨,,-†*%@#
#&=^=~.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.~=^=&#
%*:-.,.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.,.-:*%
§*%=»^¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨^»=%*§
#&£%=»~,¨,                                          ,¨,~»=%£&#
##&*^†«,,,                                          ,,,«†^*&##