##@#@††--¨                                          ¨--††@#@##
#@#@††--¨¨                                          ¨¨--††@#@#
@#@††--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--††@#@
#@††--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--††@#
@††--¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨--††@
#@††--¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨--††@#
@#@††--¨¨¨         † 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.        ¨.,¨-~\$##
@£&=/~-¨¨.                                          .¨¨-~/=&£@
####$/».,,                                          ,,.»/$####
###£@*/-,.                                          .,-/*@£###
###§%/~:,,                                          ,,:~/%§###
@##†=~^.¨,                                          ,¨.^~=†##@