###§¤^=«..                                          ..«=^¤§###
###§¤^=«..                                          ..«=^¤§###
§§§¤¤^=«..                                          ..«=^¤¤§§§
#¤¤¤^«««..                                          ..«««^¤¤¤#
##¤^=.....                                          .....=^¤##
###§¤^=«..         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ..«=^¤§###
§§^«......         = 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.       .¨,.~=*£#@
#£&=†»».¨.                                          .¨.»»†=&£#
#@£&*%/»,,                                          ,,»/%*&£@#
#@@§&%/~,¨                                          ¨,~/%&§@@#
##£&¤^*«,,                                          ,,«*^¤&£##
##@&§§;~,,                                          ,,~;§§&@##