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