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