%^=~......                                          ......~=^%
@%^=~.....                                          .....~=^%@
@@%^=~....                                          ....~=^%@@
#@@%^=~...                                          ...~=^%@@#
##@@%^=~..                                          ..~=^%@@##
#@@%^=~...         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ...~=^%@@#
@@%^=~....         = 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.        ,¨¨..,,-;^
%$\~..,,,¨                                          ¨,,,..~\$%
¤%%/~,.,,,                                          ,,,.,~/%%¤
#&%%*«,.¨,                                          ,¨.,«*%%&#
##£$%/=^¨¨                                          ¨¨^=/%$£##
###&£$^=,,                                          ,,=^$£&###