¶*††\\~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~\\††*¶
#@¶§*†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†*§¶@#
##@¶§*†\~¨                                          ¨~\†*§¶@##
#@¶§*†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†*§¶@#
¶*†~:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:~†*¶
¶*\:::¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨:::\*¶
#@¶§*†\~:¨         \ 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.       ¨-«;*@§§§#
#*\~^~.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.~^~\*#
###§***=.¨                                          ¨.=***§###
##@#$%=~~.                                          .~~=%$#@##
##@#*%=~,,                                          ,,~=%*#@##
##£&¤†^~,,                                          ,,~^†¤&£##