##@£&§^~..                                          ..~^§&£@##
@@££&§^~..                                          ..~^§&££@@
#@£§^~~~..                                          ..~~~^§£@#
##@£&§^~..                                          ..~^§&£@##
###@£&§~..                                          ..~§&£@###
###@£&^~..         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ..~^&£@###
##@£&§^~..         ^ 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,                   ,--=%£¤#@#
#@$;=»-,,.                                          .,,-»=;$@#
#$%%£†^«~.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .~«^†£%%$#
@$=~~,,.¨.        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       .¨.,,~~=$@
&$=;,...,.                                          .,...,;=$&
@§==«¨¨.,,                                          ,,.¨¨«==§@
&&=/:^.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.^:/=&&
##@#£†/»..                                          ..»/†£#@##
##@£@†^~,,                                          ,,~^†@£@##