##£§$*/~.,                                          ,.~/*$§£##
#@£§$*/~.,                                          ,.~/*$§£@#
#@£§$*/~.,                                          ,.~/*$§£@#
##£§$*/~.,                                          ,.~/*$§£##
§*//~~~~.,                                          ,.~~~~//*§
#@£§$*/~.,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,.~/*$§£@#
#@£§$*/~.,         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ,.~/*$§£@#
£§*/~.,,,,         / 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.  ,-»†^$&@#@
#@£#£%=~,,       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ,,~=%£#£@#
@#¶&@%/-,.                                          .,-/%@&¶#@
#@¶¤§%;=~.                                          .~=;%§¤¶@#
¶£†/,.,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,.,/†£¶
###@@$§:,,                                          ,,:§$@@###
##@#&%^«^.                                          .^«^%&#@##