####$$\«,,                                          ,,«\$$####
####$$\«,,                                          ,,«\$$####
####$$\«,,                                          ,,«\$$####
####$$\«,,                                          ,,«\$$####
##$$$$\«,,                                          ,,«\$$$$##
#$$\«««,,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,,«««\$$#
###$$$\«,,         \ 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.       ¨,.¨¨:-*†#
##@#£*\~:¨                                          ¨:~\*£#@##
#@@&$%^~:.                                          .:~^%$&@@#
###§@%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%@§###
###&&=:»^¨                                          ¨^»:=&&###
@@$$*†/~,¨                                          ¨,~/†*$$@@