#£\--¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨--\£#
#*-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-*#
##£#£*\-,¨                                          ¨,-\*£#£##
##£#£*\-,¨                                          ¨,-\*£#£##
£#**-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-**#£
#*--¨¨¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨--*#
####£*\-,¨         \ 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.       ,,,¨~:†=§&
##@#%=*=,,                                          ,,=*=%#@##
#@#@$^*~^¨                                          ¨^~*^$@#@#
#&&££*/=~.                                          .~=/*££&&#
£&%=¨¨¨¨..                                          ..¨¨¨¨=%&£
&$=*,-,.,.                                          .,.,-,*=$&