###&¤%/~.,                                          ,.~/%¤&###
&&&%%//~.,                                          ,.~//%%&&&
##¤¤%//~.,                                          ,.~//%¤¤##
###&¤%/~.,                                          ,.~/%¤&###
&¤%~..,,,,                                          ,,,,..~%¤&
###&¤%/~.,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,.~/%¤&###
#&%/..,,,,         / 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¶#  ¨^==@££###
###@§$\~:,   #@WHERE@THEY@CAME,##@###@AND@THEN####  ,:~\$§@###
##@£%%^--,   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE†«   ,--^%%£@##
##¶§£=†»~,   ~»BEING « STOLEN «- FROM ~»= THEM. .   ,~»†=£§¶##
###§@%:»-¨          »~ .  ~»~ ¨  =.  ^«  »          ¨-»:%@§###
@§%†~~¨,,¨    ,   -.          ,                .    ¨,,¨~~†%§@
@@£%£†=~-,        ,      ,          ,      %        ,-~=†£%£@@
@*:«»=:¨,¨                                          ¨,¨:=»«:*@
##¶@$^;«-,                   .#.                    ,-«;^$@¶##
##@@#%/~..                                          ..~/%#@@##
@#@#£==-,¨                   AND,                   ¨,-==£#@#@
#£&**%;~,.                                          .,~;%**&£#
###§%%\-:.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .:-\%%§###
@¤%%†;,,..       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ..,,;†%%¤@
¤*†=¨,¨.,.                                          .,.¨,¨=†*¤
###£$^\-.¨                                          ¨.-\^$£###
§^/**~-¨.,                                          ,.¨-~**/^§
#@¶£&^^=-,                                          ,-=^^&£¶@#
#§£**,...,                                          ,...,**£§#