£@@@@$*=^.                                          .^=*$@@@@£
##££@$*=^.                                          .^=*$@££##
£@*^^.....                                          .....^^*@£
£$$=^.....                                          .....^=$$£
##££@$*=^.                                          .^=*$@££##
£@****=...         # ==================== #         ...=****@£
£$$=......         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ......=$$£
###£@$*=^.         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         .^=*$@£###
£$*=......         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ......=*$£
£@@@*^....         *  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.        ..¨¨.¨-§@#
#†-¨,..,¨.                                          .¨,..,¨-†#
##@&%^†»,,                                          ,,»†^%&@##
&§@\*~,,,,                                          ,,,,~*\@§&
##@@£*=-^¨                                          ¨^-=*£@@##
###@£%*/-¨                                          ¨-/*%£@###