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