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