#@££*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*££@#
#@££*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*££@#
@£%%%%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%%%%£@
@£%/^^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^^/%£@
##££*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*££##
£*%~~¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨~~%*£
##££*%/~^¨         / 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^:,~   ...¨-^$@@#
##@&&=/~.¨    »=~THE»POOL,~SURROUNDING:THEM=-/:/    ¨.~/=&&@##
####*===,,    :SUDDEN:THOUGHTS*OF=ǠCLIMBING/^=     ,,===*####
#&#=*†*-..   INTO*THE*POOL,§THEIR†THIRST%FLARING†   ..-*†*=#&#
##@&&$\~:.     %^§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.  ,-~;*§#@##
#@@£$$;-:,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,:-;$$£@@#
###@&*\~~¨                                          ¨~~\*&@###
###£&*:»:¨                                          ¨:»:*&£###
@@&&;^,¨..                                          ..¨,^;&&@@
£§^%†:;=,,                                          ,,=;:†%^§£
#@@@$†*«^.                                          .^«*†$@@@#