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