#£@@%^/~-,                                          ,-~/^%@@£#
#£%/~~-,,,                                          ,,,-~~/%£#
££@%%^/~-,                                          ,-~/^%%@££
#£%////~-,                                          ,-~////%£#
££%/~~,,,,                                          ,,,,~~/%££
##£@%^/~-,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,-~/^%@£##
@^////--,,         / 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.        ,,¨¨.¨~=&§
£&^»,,¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨,,»^&£
####§$/~,,                                          ,,~/$§####
#@£@%§*~,¨                                          ¨,~*§%@£@#
####§$:».,                                          ,.»:$§####
@¶@&%%†»~,                                          ,~»†%%&@¶@