#*\~~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~~\*#
#@#@*$\=~¨                                          ¨~=\$*@#@#
#@$=~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~=$@#
#@#@*$\=~¨                                          ¨~=\$*@#@#
#@#@*$\=~¨                                          ¨~=\$*@#@#
@@*\~¨¨¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨¨¨~\*@@
@@*$===¨¨¨         \ 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.       ¨¨..^††£@£
£@@†»¨,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,¨»†@@£
&^»¨......                                          ......¨»^&
@$~,,,¨...                                          ...¨,,,~$@
#@@@§%†~-,                                          ,-~†%§@@@#
##@¤£^\-~¨                                          ¨~-\^£¤@##