#§§%**^»,,                                          ,,»^**%§§#
##@§%*^»,,                                          ,,»^*%§@##
##@§%*^»,,                                          ,,»^*%§@##
@%%%*»,,,,                                          ,,,,»*%%%@
@@@§%*^»,,                                          ,,»^*%§@@@
##@§%*^»,,         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ,,»^*%§@##
##@§%*^»,,         ^ 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,                   ,^~:=&§@@#
##§%$==¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨==$%§##
@#$£^=†~.,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,.~†=^£$#@
##@¤$=\»-.        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       .-»\=$¤@##
#§§$-.¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨.-$§§#
###¤¤$\-.¨                                          ¨.-\$¤¤###
@*§%;=«,:,                                          ,:,«=;%§*@
##£££%=~~¨                                          ¨~~=%£££##
#@§$†~¨.,,                                          ,,.¨~†$§@#