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