##@§^~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~^§@##
#@§^~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~^§@#
@§^~~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~~^§@
#@§^~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~^§@#
##@§^~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~^§@##
###@§^~~¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨~~^§@###
####@§^~~¨         ^ 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#     ..~\^£¤###
##¤§%*=,¨, #$OF¤§EXACTLY#¶HOW¤THEY§HAD¤TRAVELED,£#  ,¨,=*%§¤##
¶&¤=†=,,,.   #&OF¤THE£WAY@HOME£¶TO¶THE£TIME@FROM#£  .,,,=†=¤&¶
@**;«,¨...  ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,@#@##@#AND#THEN####   ...¨,«;**@
%%^»,,¨..¨   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE:«   ¨..¨,,»^%%
#@%;»^,..¨   ~=BEING = STOLEN ~» FROM »~~ THEM. ¨   ¨..,^»;%@#
@#&=*=,,¨.          «= ,  ~»- .  ~¨  ^~  ~          .¨,,=*=&#@
##£%=;~-.,    :   ,,          ^                ¨    ,.-~;=%£##
##£@*^^-.¨        .      .          ,      ^        ¨.-^^*@£##
#£§$*;»~,.                                          .,~»;*$§£#
#¤¤*\~~¨.¨                    ¨#.                   ¨.¨~~\*¤¤#
@@%/«:,¨.,                                          ,.¨,:«/%@@
*%*~-¨,¨.,                   AND,                   ,.¨,¨-~*%*
#&$*«-¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨-«*$&#
#@@§:-~,..  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ..,~-:§@@#
#@£&%=~,,¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨,,~=%&£@#
##@@£*=~.,                                          ,.~=*£@@##
##@§*^=-.,                                          ,.-=^*§@##
@£%^;«,.¨.                                          .¨.,«;^%£@
@$%†»~,,.,                                          ,.,,~»†%$@
&%\~-¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨-~\%&