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