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