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