##£#%*\~..                                          ..~\*%#£##
#£%\......                                          ......\%£#
##*~......                                          ......~*##
#*\\......                                          ......\\*#
####%*\~..                                          ..~\*%####
##%\......         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ......\%##
##£#%*\~..         \ 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,%# ¨,~;$&£@£&
####*†*~~,   #&OF&THE¶WAY@HOME@@TO#THE#TIME¶FROM£#  ,~~*†*####
#@#&**^»~,  #@WHERE@THEY#CAME,@@###@@AND#THEN@###   ,~»^**&#@#
##@#%†:~^,   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE/~   ,^~:†%#@##
#@#£%%:-,,   ~=BEING ~ STOLEN ~= FROM ==~ THEM. ,   ,,-:%%£#@#
###¤@*=~:¨          ~~ ,  ~«= ,  ~,  .-  ~          ¨:~=*@¤###
@@¤¤¤%:~:,    .   .,          -                .    ,:~:%¤¤¤@@
§%$*%†*~~,        .      .          ¨      $        ,~~*†%*$%§
###@$%^~-.                                          .-~^%$@###
#@¶&£*:~-,                   ,#,                    ,-~:*£&¶@#
@¤%†/^¨.,.                                          .,.¨^/†%¤@
#@@£¤§\»~.                   AND,                   .~»\§¤£@@#
##@@§@§\=.                                          .=\§@§@@##
#¤§*,.,,¨¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨¨,,.,*§¤#
##££¤§*~~,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,~~*§¤££##
#@#&$^=~^.                                          .^~=^$&#@#
¶&$£=~.¨,.                                          .,¨.~=£$&¶
@$†~,.,...                                          ...,.,~†$@
@@*=.,.¨,.                                          .,¨.,.=*@@
###¶¤$^»^.                                          .^»^$¤¶###