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