###$§;~^..                                          ..^~;§$###
####$§;~^.                                          .^~;§$####
#####$§;~^                                          ^~;§$#####
####$§;~^.                                          .^~;§$####
###$§;~^..                                          ..^~;§$###
##$§;~^...         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ...^~;§$##
###$§;~^..         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         ..^~;§$###
####$§;~^.         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         .^~;§$####
#####$§;~^         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         ^~;§$#####
####$§;~^.         ;  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ;         .^~;§$####
###$§;~^..         ;  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ;         ..^~;§$###
##$§;~^... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ...^~;§$##
###$§;~^..  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ..^~;§$###
####$§;~^.         ;        AT ALL...     ;         .^~;§$####
#####$§;~^         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ^~;§$#####
#@##$*†-^¨                                          ¨^-†*$##@#
#@&£*\«^.¨     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.        ..=/%&@@##
@¶££$^«,..                                          ..,«^$££¶@
@@$§=~,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,~=§$@@
#¶§£$=«:.¨                                          ¨.:«=$£§¶#
###&&§=~:,                                          ,:~=§&&###
####£%%=-,                                          ,-=%%£####