#@¤$§^~:..                                          ..:~^§$¤@#
##@¤$§^~:.                                          .:~^§$¤@##
#@¤$§^~:..                                          ..:~^§$¤@#
@¤$§^~:...                                          ...:~^§$¤@
¤$§^~:....                                          ....:~^§$¤
$§^~:.....         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .....:~^§$
¤$§^~:....         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ....:~^§$¤
@¤$§^~:...         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ...:~^§$¤@
#@¤$§^~:..         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ..:~^§$¤@#
##@¤$§^~:.         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         .:~^§$¤@##
#@¤$§^~:..         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         ..:~^§$¤@#
@¤$§^~:...  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ...:~^§$¤@
¤$§^~:....  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ....:~^§$¤
$§^~:.....         ^        AT ALL...     ^         .....:~^§$
¤$§^~:....         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ....:~^§$¤
##*%\~,..,                                          ,..,~\%*##
#£§¤*==:,¨     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.        ¨.¨¨.~~^†¤
&£%\~~.,¨.                                          .¨,.~~\%£&
¶#&%=-^,,¨                                          ¨,,^-=%&#¶
#£¤£†;-~¨¨                                          ¨¨~-;†£¤£#
####§*/=,.                                          .,=/*§####
#¶¤*†^-,,,                                          ,,,-^†*¤¶#