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