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