##§£**»,,,                                          ,,,»**£§##
#§£**»,,,,                                          ,,,,»**£§#
##§£**»,,,                                          ,,,»**£§##
###§£**»,,                                          ,,»**£§###
##§£**»,,,                                          ,,,»**£§##
#§£**»,,,,         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ,,,,»**£§#
##§£**»,,,         * 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.        ...,«==£@@
#¶#¤*/~^.¨                                          ¨.^~/*¤#¶#
##£#@^/~-¨                                          ¨-~/^@#£##
##£¤†^=,.¨                                          ¨.,=^†¤£##
¶@£†=-,..,                                          ,..,-=†£@¶
#@§¤^*»-..                                          ..-»*^¤§@#