##£**==~,,                                          ,,~==**£##
@£=~~~~,,,                                          ,,,~~~~=£@
@*==~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~==*@
#££=,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,=££#
@£**=,,,,,                                          ,,,,,=**£@
##@@£*=~,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,~=*£@@##
###@£*=~,,         = 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.  .,~;$%¤@##
#§%~»«,-^.        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       .^-,«»~%§#
#&%~~,^,¨.                                          .¨,^,~~%&#
#@@¤@$*=:¨                                          ¨:=*$@¤@@#
##£¤¤*=-,¨                                          ¨,-=*¤¤£##
#%\:¨¨,,.¨                                          ¨.,,¨¨:\%#
###@@£:~-,                                          ,-~:£@@###