##@§$%^=,¨                                          ¨,=^%$§@##
¶$^^=¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨=^^$¶
¶§$%^^,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,^^%$§¶
##@¶§%^=,¨                                          ¨,=^%§¶@##
#@¶§$%^=,¨                                          ¨,=^%$§¶@#
¶§§$$%^=,¨         # ==================== #         ¨,=^%$$§§¶
#@¶§$%^=,¨         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ¨,=^%$§¶@#
#@¶§$%^=,¨         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ¨,=^%$§¶@#
##¶§$%^=,¨         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ¨,=^%$§¶##
#@¶§$%^=,¨         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ¨,=^%$§¶@#
§%%%=,¨¨¨¨         ^  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.        ¨,=:%@#@##
###¤%=:»:,                                          ,:»:=%¤###
§&/^~-:,,,                                          ,,,:-~^/&§
@#*~~¨,...                                          ...,¨~~*#@
@%=†=:-.,,                                          ,,.-:=†=%@
##£#@†=~~,                                          ,~~=†@#£##