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