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