##@£&%=»,,                                          ,,»=%&£@##
#£%%=»»,,,                                          ,,,»»=%%£#
##@£&%=»,,                                          ,,»=%&£@##
##@£&%=»,,                                          ,,»=%&£@##
##@£&%=»,,                                          ,,»=%&£@##
##@£&%=»,,         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ,,»=%&£@##
##@£&%=»,,         = 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.       ¨:»^£¤£###
##@£@§†»-,                                          ,-»†§@£@##
@¶£^=,,,¨,                                          ,¨,,,=^£¶@
#£&%†-,¨,,                                          ,,¨,-†%&£#
##@£¤%^~,.                                          .,~^%¤£@##
@#$;:*†»,.                                          .,»†*:;$#@