##@&%*^~~¨                                          ¨~~^*%&@##
#@&%*^~~¨¨                                          ¨¨~~^*%&@#
@&%*^~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~^*%&@
&%*^~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~^*%&
@&%*^~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~^*%&@
#@&%*^~~¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨~~^*%&@#
##@&%*^~~¨         ^ 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###@   ,¨,,-~\§$£
¶¤*§/«:¨..   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE\~   ..¨:«/§*¤¶
@#&%†;~,,.   =~BEING - STOLEN =- FROM ~»~ THEM. ¨   .,,~;†%&#@
##@£&†;»:¨          «« ¨  =-« .  «,  -«  «          ¨:»;†&£@##
#@¤*%\«.¨,    :   .^          ~                .    ,¨.«\%*¤@#
#§£%=«,.,.        ,      .          .      ^        .,.,«=%£§#
¤§%*=~..¨¨                                          ¨¨..~=*%§¤
¶§§%/»-¨..                   ¨#,                    ..¨-»/%§§¶
#£@&†;~~,¨                                          ¨,~~;†&@£#
###&¤%:»..                   AND,                   ..»:%¤&###
@#£*%:«..,                                          ,..«:%*£#@
¶&@§:».,,.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .,,.»:§@&¶
¤&%;»,..,,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,,..,»;%&¤
¶&%%;~,¨,.                                          .,¨,~;%%&¶
##£%%^=..¨                                          ¨..=^%%£##
##@&$%^=^¨                                          ¨^=^%$&@##
#@§&$;~,¨.                                          .¨,~;$&§@#
@§*%;«...¨                                          ¨...«;%*§@