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