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