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