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