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