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