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