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