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