#@@§§~-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-~§§@@#
##@£@§*~-¨                                          ¨-~*§@£@##
#££@@§*~-¨                                          ¨-~*§@@££#
#£§§~-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-~§§£#
£££@@§*~-¨                                          ¨-~*§@@£££
£@*~--¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨--~*@£
##@£@§*~-¨         * 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:=   .~«*=$@££@
@#%§%»»~.¨   -«BEING - STOLEN ~~ FROM ~~~ THEM. ¨   ¨.~»»%§%#@
##£@*$†»-.          «« ,  =«~ ,  ~,  .-  ~          .-»†$*@£##
@&=*~.:¨,¨    ,   ,.          ~                .    ¨,¨:.~*=&@
@££$%%=~^,        ,      ¨          ¨      =        ,^~=%%$££@
###¶#£:»-,                                          ,-»:£#¶###
£&*†;-,~¨¨                    .#,                   ¨¨~,-;†*&£
#@&/†;,.¨.                                          .¨.,;†/&@#
¶@@&£^^=^¨                   AND,                   ¨^=^^£&@@¶
###&*%^=~¨                                          ¨~=^%*&###
###¤%*:--,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,--:*%¤###
@#¤%%-»..¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨..»-%%¤#@
##@£$%;«~,                                          ,~«;%$£@##
£$«.¨,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,¨.«$£
#@@¤§%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%§¤@@#
@@£§%%==-,                                          ,-==%%§£@@
##¶£¤%†~,,                                          ,,~†%¤£¶##