#$$$-~,,,,                                          ,,,,~-$$$#
£##$----~,                                          ,~----$##£
#@=-,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,-=@#
##@@==~,,,                                          ,,,~==@@##
£#@@=~,,,,                                          ,,,,~=@@#£
##$=--~~,,         # -------------------- #         ,,~~--=$##
##$$==~~,,         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ,,~~==$$##
###£@$=-~,         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ,~-=$@£###
##£#@$=-~,         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         ,~-=$@#£##
##@=~~,,,,         =  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.       ,^»:$$@£#@
@##&$*\»:¨                                          ¨:»\*$&##@
£@*^*^=~,.                                          .,~=^*^*@£
§£§/^.¨.,.                                          .,.¨.^/§£§
&%§%£%:~,¨                                          ¨,~:%£%§%&
¤*§^\.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.\^§*¤