##@&£^/~:.                                          .:~/^£&@##
#@&£^/~:..                                          ..:~/^£&@#
@&£^/~:...                                          ...:~/^£&@
&£^/~:....                                          ....:~/^£&
£^/~:.....                                          .....:~/^£
^/~:......         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ......:~/^
£^/~:.....         / 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.  ¨,¨,-=*%§@
##§%$;=,,¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨,,=;$%§##
###@%†*-,¨                                          ¨,-*†%@###
#@§§$:»:¨¨                                          ¨¨:»:$§§@#
£&$*^~^,..                                          ..,^~^*$&£
#$*/«:,,¨,                                          ,¨,,:«/*$#
§==~,¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨,~==§