###§@$;~,¨                                          ¨,~;$@§###
##§§@$;~,¨                                          ¨,~;$@§§##
###§@$;~,¨                                          ¨,~;$@§###
###§@$;~,¨                                          ¨,~;$@§###
##@$$$;~,¨                                          ¨,~;$$$@##
#@;,,¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨,,;@#
#§$;,¨¨¨¨¨         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         ¨¨¨¨¨,;$§#
#@;,,¨¨¨¨¨         ; 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.        ¨.=†^£&&##
£$*~^¨,,¨.                                          .¨,,¨^~*$£
@$*$%~~.-,                                          ,-.~~%$*$@
#&#&;-¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨-;&#&#
###@&&%*«.                                          .«*%&&@###
##£&¤†*~-¨                                          ¨-~*†¤&£##