#£@%†^~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~^†%@£#
£@%†^~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~^†%@£
#£@%†^~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~^†%@£#
##£@%†^~,¨                                          ¨,~^†%@£##
#£@%†^~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~^†%@£#
£@%†^~,¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨,~^†%@£
#£@%†^~,¨¨         ^ 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.        ,.,:-=^£££
##&%=\»^,.                                          .,^»\=%&##
##£&@$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$@&£##
###$*;-^,,                                          ,,^-;*$###
@@§†/=~..,                                          ,..~=/†§@@
##§&^†=~.¨                                          ¨.~=†^&§##