####§§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§§####
###§§/~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~/§§###
##§§/~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~/§§##
#§§/~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~/§§#
§§/~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~/§§
§/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/§
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         / 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/»   ,.,¨.,~^$%
%†~,¨¨,,.¨   »»BEING » STOLEN == FROM ~»~ THEM. .   ¨.,,¨¨,~†%
=~,.,¨,¨¨¨          «» .  »=» .  ~.  -~  «          ¨¨¨,¨,.,~=
-:.,.,,¨.,    ~   .:          ~                ¨    ,.¨,,.,.:-
..¨,,¨,,¨¨        ¨      ,          .      *        ¨¨,,¨,,¨..
.¨..,,.,,¨                                          ¨,,.,,..¨.
...,.,,,.,                    ¨#,                   ,.,,,.,...
-^,.¨..,¨,                                          ,¨,..¨.,^-
†«~¨.,¨,..                   AND,                   ..,¨,.¨~«†
†/~,..,,.¨                                          ¨.,,..,~/†
%^/-,,,...  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ...,,,-/^%
£%*†«,..,¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨,..,«†*%£
@£%^;-^¨..                                          ..¨^-;^%£@
###@^/~.,,                                          ,,.~/^@###
##@@£†;=~¨                                          ¨~=;†£@@##
##@%=\«:.,                                          ,.:«\=%@##
#¤$*\=~.,,                                          ,,.~=\*$¤#