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