###§%^~~..                                          ..~~^%§###
####§%^~~.                                          .~~^%§####
###§%^~~..                                          ..~~^%§###
##§%^~~...                                          ...~~^%§##
#§%^~~....                                          ....~~^%§#
##§%^~~...         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ...~~^%§##
###§%^~~..         ^ 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.       ¨.,:~\^*§#
@@§*-..¨,,                                          ,,¨..-*§@@
#¤¤**»:.,¨                                          ¨,.:»**¤¤#
##@%*==^.¨                                          ¨.^==*%@##
####%*†--,                                          ,--†*%####
#@¤$%/-,,.                                          .,,-/%$¤@#