@¶¶§$†=~^¨                                          ¨^~=†$§¶¶@
#@¶§$†=~^¨                                          ¨^~=†$§¶@#
##¶§$†=~^¨                                          ¨^~=†$§¶##
##@§$†=~^¨                                          ¨^~=†$§@##
¶§$†~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~†$§¶
#@¶§$†=~^¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨^~=†$§¶@#
¶§§§$†=~^¨         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ¨^~=†$§§§¶
##¶§$†=~^¨         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ¨^~=†$§¶##
¶§††~^¨¨¨¨         =  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.       .,~;%§£@##
@&£@£*^-~¨                                          ¨~-^*£@£&@
£$§===.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.===§$£
##@#%=†»:,                                          ,:»†=%#@##
¤*=\»:..,,                                          ,,..:»\=*¤
@@$//,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,//$@@