#$†^^^^^^.                                          .^^^^^^†$#
###$$$†~^.                                          .^~†$$$###
###$$$†~^.                                          .^~†$$$###
#@##$$†~^.                                          .^~†$$##@#
#$†^^^....                                          ....^^^†$#
#@##$$†~^.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .^~†$$##@#
####$$†~^.         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         .^~†$$####
@@##$$†~^.         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         .^~†$$##@@
#@##$$†~^.         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         .^~†$$##@#
#@##$$†~^.         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         .^~†$$##@#
#@##$$†~^.         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         .^~†$$##@#
####$$†~^.  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, .^~†$$####
#@##$$†~^.  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  .^~†$$##@#
#@##$$†~^.         †        AT ALL...     †         .^~†$$##@#
#$$$$††~^.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .^~††$$$$#
§@\-,,,,.¨                                          ¨.,,,,-\@§
#£@§-~.¨¨.     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     .¨¨.~-§@£#
¤*=«¨¨¨,¨.   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   .¨,¨¨¨«=*¤
#%^»»,¨¨,.  FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND .,¨¨,»»^%#
@¤%==~.,¨,  ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND.   ,¨,.~==%¤@
##@#$^/=~.   IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY,   .~=/^$#@##
#§#£$^\-^.     AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL.     .^-\^$£#§#
@$/~:,...¨                                          ¨...,:~/$@
#@¶¤£%;».,                    ¨#,                   ,.»;%£¤¶@#
###&%^/«..                                          ..«/^%&###
#@#£*§†~~¨    THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE    ¨~~†§*£#@#
@#@¤*§:«.,    IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS.   ,.«:§*¤@#@
#@##£*;=.¨   IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN   ¨.=;*£##@#
£§@::,.¨.,   THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS  ,.¨.,::@§£
@#@£:=:,,,           UNDISTURBED BY WIND.           ,,,:=:£@#@
##¶££*:»~¨                                          ¨~»:*££¶##
#§\-,.^.,.                    ,#¨                   .,.^.,-\§#
#@#&%§;»~,                                          ,~»;§%&#@#
@¤&@$$;~.¨     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.       .¨¨~--%#&¶
¶£§:.,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,.:§£¶
##@£%%:~:,                                          ,:~:%%£@##
£%%†-=--,,                                          ,,--=-†%%£
&£¤@¤†*~~,                                          ,~~*†¤@¤£&
@@£@;^~^:¨                                          ¨:^~^;@£@@