#@£§%*~:..                                          ..:~*%§£@#
##@£§%*~:.                                          .:~*%§£@##
#@£§%*~:..                                          ..:~*%§£@#
@£§%*~:...                                          ...:~*%§£@
#@£§%*~:..                                          ..:~*%§£@#
##@£§%*~:.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .:~*%§£@##
#@£§%*~:..         * 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.  ¨¨,~:%§§@#
##¶¤$^^-,.        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       .,-^^$¤¶##
##¤£%\«,,,                                          ,,,«\%£¤##
#@£^\~^,¨.                                          .¨,^~\^£@#
@#§@$=~-.,                                          ,.-~=$@§#@
##£&£%†~-.                                          .-~†%£&£##
#¶¤*$†»:.¨                                          ¨.:»†$*¤¶#