££$*~.....                                          .....~*$££
##£§$*^~,.                                          .,~^*$§£##
##£§$*^~,.                                          .,~^*$§£##
#££§$*^~,.                                          .,~^*$§££#
£££§$*^~,.                                          .,~^*$§£££
#££§$*^~,.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .,~^*$§££#
##£§$*^~,.         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         .,~^*$§£##
#§$**~,,..         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ..,,~**$§#
##£§$*^~,.         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         .,~^*$§£##
##£§$*^~,.         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         .,~^*$§£##
###£$*^~,.         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         .,~^*$£###
§§$$^~.... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ....~^$$§§
#§$^^^,...  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ...,^^^$§#
##£§$*^~,.         ^        AT ALL...     ^         .,~^*$§£##
#£$^^^~...         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ...~^^^$£#
#@£#%^/=,,                                          ,,=/^%#£@#
#¶#&$%;~,.     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     .,~;%$&#¶#
#%%^-.....   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.       ,:»/§@#¶@#
###@%$^=^,                                          ,^=^$%@###
@££**=.:.,                                          ,.:.=**££@
####*==»~,                                          ,~»==*####
#§¤¤;:,,.¨                                          ¨.,,:;¤¤§#
####£*^»:.                                          .:»^*£####