##@£*§:~^,                                          ,^~:§*£@##
##@£*§:~^,                                          ,^~:§*£@##
#£££*§:~^,                                          ,^~:§*£££#
££§§~~~^^,                                          ,^^~~~§§££
£§:~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~:§£
£§§§§~~^^,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,^^~~§§§§£
#£§~~,,,,,         : 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.        ..¨¨¨,=*#¤
#@@¤^/^...                                          ...^/^¤@@#
@#§--,¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨,--§#@
§&@%:-¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨-:%@&§
#&%=*-,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,-*=%&#
#@##%%;~~,                                          ,~~;%%##@#