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