##£¤@†;=~¨                                          ¨~=;†@¤£##
#£¤@†;=~¨¨                                          ¨¨~=;†@¤£#
£¤@†;=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=;†@¤£
¤@†;=~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~=;†@¤
£¤@†;=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=;†@¤£
#£¤@†;=~¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨~=;†@¤£#
##£¤@†;=~¨         ; 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.       ¨.¨¨,=:$%§
#§§%†~-,,.                                          .,,-~†%§§#
##@&=*-:¨,                                          ,¨:-*=&@##
####&†:«:.                                          .:«:†&####
#¶&%*†-~,.                                          .,~-†*%&¶#
¶§§*;~,,.¨                                          ¨.,,~;*§§¶