#@£§*^~~,,                                          ,,~~^*§£@#
@£§*^~~,,,                                          ,,,~~^*§£@
£§*^~~,,,,                                          ,,,,~~^*§£
§*^~~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~~^*§
*^~~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~~^*
^~~,,,,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,,,,~~^
*^~~,,,,,,         ^ 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=-$$A$SUDDEN§&AWARENESS#    ,¨,.,,,-*^
%§†»~¨...¨ #%OF¤£EXACTLY@#HOW@THEY#HAD§TRAVELED,¤#  ¨...¨~»†§%
#*%†«^¨..,   ##OF§THE£WAY£HOME##TO#THE@TIME£FROM¶#  ,..¨^«†%*#
@§§†/-:.,.   ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,@@##@@#AND@THEN#@##  .,.:-/†§§@
#@#$§;«^..   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE/«   ..^«;§$#@#
###&¤==»,,   «=BEING = STOLEN ~« FROM --= THEM. ¨   ,,»==¤&###
#@§$†*-,¨,          ~« .  »-~ ¨  «¨  ,«  -          ,¨,-*†$§@#
@#*%^=:..,    ~   ,:          :                .    ,..:=^%*#@
¤§^\«,.¨¨.        ¨      ¨          ¨      ^        .¨¨.,«\^§¤
*^=«-¨.¨.,                                          ,.¨.¨-«=^*
%\=,¨¨¨,,,                   ,#¨                    ,,,¨¨¨,=\%
=«,.,¨.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.¨,.,«=
%\»,.,¨,,¨                   AND,                   ¨,,¨,.,»\%
¤%^=^,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,^=^%¤
¤$===,..,,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,,..,===$¤
@#*$:~.¨,.        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       .,¨.~:$*#@
#£&£§:».¨.                                          .¨.»:§£&£#
###¤%$;=~¨                                          ¨~=;$%¤###
#@£$$†~,¨,                                          ,¨,~†$$£@#
¶@%§=«,,,.                                          .,,,«=§%@¶
£*^^~^¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨^~^^*£