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