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