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