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