####£%=†,.                                          .,†=%£####
#%=~,,,...                                          ...,,,~=%#
####£%=†~.                                          .~†=%£####
##££%=†~,.                                          .,~†=%££##
###£%=†~,.                                          .,~†=%£###
###£%=†~,.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .,~†=%£###
£%=†,.....         † 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.       ,~-†%§££@#
@&$==~-...                                          ...-~==$&@
##£@*=:«,¨                                          ¨,«:=*@£##
&%$=~=¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨=~=$%&
###§$§\=.,                                          ,.=\§$§###
§**=-.:¨.¨                                          ¨.¨:.-=**§