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