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