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