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