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