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