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