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