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