§§§§£$†«~.                                          .~«†$£§§§§
§$««......                                          ......««$§
##@££$†«~.                                          .~«†$££@##
##@§£$†«~.                                          .~«†$£§@##
££££†««...                                          ...««†££££
§$†~~.....         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         .....~~†$§
##@§£$†«~.         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         .~«†$£§@##
##@£§£†«~.         † 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.       ,,..,.~%*§
#§#%*~,,,,                                          ,,,,~*%#§#
##£#£$\«~.                                          .~«\$£#£##
#@#§£%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%£§#@#
##£¤£†;»,¨                                          ¨,»;†£¤£##
#@#¤@^;«^,                                          ,^«;^@¤#@#