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