####£§†»..                                          ..»†§£####
£*».......                                          .......»*£
###£§*†»..                                          ..»†*§£###
###£§*†»..                                          ..»†*§£###
###£§*†»..                                          ..»†*§£###
££§§§*†»..         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ..»†*§§§££
###£§*†»..         † 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.        .^-=*£@###
&$§=:.,,,¨                                          ¨,,,.:=§$&
¶**=»¨.,,.                                          .,,.¨»=**¶
#@#£&%\~-.                                          .-~\%&£#@#
##¶£§*;~^¨                                          ¨^~;*§£¶##
#@@¤£^^~.¨                                          ¨.~^^£¤@@#