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