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