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