#¶##%$*~~,                                          ,~~*$%##¶#
##¶#%$*~~,                                          ,~~*$%#¶##
¶#%%$$*~~,                                          ,~~*$$%%#¶
#%%%$~,,,,                                          ,,,,~$%%%#
¶#%$*~~~,,                                          ,,~~~*$%#¶
##¶#%$*~~,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,~~*$%#¶##
##¶#%$*~~,         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ,~~*$%#¶##
#¶¶#%$*~~,         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ,~~*$%#¶¶#
##¶#%$*~~,         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ,~~*$%#¶##
¶#$*~~~,,,         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         ,,,~~~*$#¶
¶%$*~~,,,,         *  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  *         ,,,,~~*$%¶
##¶#%$*~~,  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,~~*$%#¶##
#$*~,,,,,,  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ,,,,,,~*$#
###¶#%*~~,         *        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.       ¨,,-«~§^§£
###£&§^=,.                                          .,=^§&£###
#@#§&†==:¨                                          ¨:==†&§#@#
#@@&@^;«-¨                                          ¨-«;^@&@@#
&*\:,,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,,:\*&
###££%=«,¨                                          ¨,«=%££###