#@¶¤%^\--¨                                          ¨--\^%¤¶@#
#@¶¤%^\--¨                                          ¨--\^%¤¶@#
¶¶¶¤%^\--¨                                          ¨--\^%¤¶¶¶
@¶%^---¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨---^%¶@
@@¶¤%^\--¨                                          ¨--\^%¤¶@@
¤^^\\-¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨-\\^^¤
¶¤^--¨¨¨¨¨         \ 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,@# .-»†§$§&#@
#@#¤@§:»,.   #¤OF@THE@WAY#HOME@#TO#THE¶TIME£FROM##  .,»:§@¤#@#
##¶&*†:«^.  ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,@@@###@AND@THEN####   .^«:†*&¶##
#@£&£%†-~¨   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE\=   ¨~-†%£&£@#
&¤::..¨¨,.   ~-BEING ~ STOLEN «~ FROM «»~ THEM. .   .,¨¨..::¤&
##@#$=\~~¨          ~~ ¨  -»» ,  »¨  -«  -          ¨~~\=$#@##
§££^§:*-~.    .   -,          -                ,    .~-*:§^££§
###¤$=/~:¨        ,      .          .      $        ¨:~/=$¤###
#¤**~=^,¨.                                          .¨,^=~**¤#
###§*^†»-¨                   ¨#¨                    ¨-»†^*§###
@##£$*=~.,                                          ,.~=*$£##@
##@#%*:=^.                   AND,                   .^=:*%#@##
##¶¤%=*=^.                                          .^=*=%¤¶##
####¤%=~,.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .,~=%¤####
##@@%^†»-¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨-»†^%@@##
¶$†=.,,,,.                                          .,,,,.=†$¶
###@&@§*:¨                                          ¨:*§@&@###
&@¤&=~«~,¨                                          ¨,~«~=&¤@&
§§%§=«,,.,                                          ,.,,«=§%§§
¶##@;*=»-.                                          .-»=*;@##¶