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