##¶¤%†=~,¨                                          ¨,~=†%¤¶##
##¶¤%†=~,¨                                          ¨,~=†%¤¶##
¤%=~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=%¤
##¶¤%†=~,¨                                          ¨,~=†%¤¶##
¶¶%==~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~==%¶¶
¶¤††===~,¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨,~===††¤¶
¤¤††††=~,¨         = 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.  ¨,=:*&&@@#
£¶£#$^=~-.       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        .-~=^$#£¶£
##*%:^,¨.,                                          ,.¨,^:%*##
@*%†-¨,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,¨-†%*@
@£^^,¨,.¨.                                          .¨.,¨,^^£@
¶@##¤^\=.,                                          ,.=\^¤##@¶
¤#%=-,,.¨.                                          .¨.,,-=%#¤