#@£%==.,,,                                          ,,,.==%£@#
@£%==.,,,,                                          ,,,,.==%£@
#@£%==.,,,                                          ,,,.==%£@#
##@£%==.,,                                          ,,.==%£@##
###@£%==.,                                          ,.==%£@###
##@£%==.,,         # ==================== #         ,,.==%£@##
#@£%==.,,,         = 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.        ..~=†%@@##
###£@^/«,.                                          .,«/^@£###
##¶@§^~.,¨                                          ¨,.~^§@¶##
@@$*/»~,¨.                                          .¨,~»/*$@@
@£$^»-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-»^$£@
##£$/«.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.«/$£##