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