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