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