#@**%=---,                                          ,---=%**@#
##@#*%=--,                                          ,--=%*#@##
#%%===-,,,                                          ,,,-===%%#
##@#*%=--,                                          ,--=%*#@##
##@#*%=--,                                          ,--=%*#@##
###@#%=--,         # -------------------- #         ,--=%#@###
@*%----,,,         = 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.  ,^~†%%§¶##
##$~,¨¨,,¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨,,¨¨,~$##
@¤¤§^-,,.¨                                          ¨.,,-^§¤¤@
@£%^»:-~..                                          ..~-:»^%£@
##¶¤$%/~^,                                          ,^~/%$¤¶##
¶@§^^~,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,~^^§@¶
@#%/;-:¨¨,                                          ,¨¨:-;/%#@