#@£@*§;«~.                                          .~«;§*@£@#
£*§§§§;«~.                                          .~«;§§§§*£
@@*§;~....                                          ....~;§*@@
#@£@*§;«~.                                          .~«;§*@£@#
@@£@*§;«~.                                          .~«;§*@£@@
@§§§§«~...         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ...~«§§§§@
£££@*§;«~.         ; 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,$#  .^-=*¤¤£@#
@@£†~«¨¨¨¨  #&OF§THE#WAY£HOME#¶TO@THE#TIME#FROM@¶   ¨¨¨¨«~†£@@
§@£\.¨¨¨,.  #@WHERE@THEY#CAME,@@@##@#AND@THEN###@   .,¨¨¨.\£@§
#£%†;\=~-,   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE:~   ,-~=\;†%£#
##@£¤%:~^.   ==BEING - STOLEN =~ FROM -~= THEM. ¨   .^~:%¤£@##
##¶¤%†^-^.          =~ ,  -=» ,  ».  :=  ~          .^-^†%¤¶##
£§^=-,^,.,    ,   ,:          ^                .    ,.,^,-=^§£
##@#&*/»,,        .      .          ,      =        ,,»/*&#@##
##£@@*/~..                                          ..~/*@@£##
###@%%;»,¨                   ¨#¨                    ¨,»;%%@###
####$=:--.                                          .--:=$####
##@#£†;«:¨                   AND,                   ¨:«;†£#@##
#@@@@†:».¨                                          ¨.»:†@@@@#
#@@§*^*«,¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨,«*^*§@@#
@§§†\*†«:¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨:«†*\†§§@
#@@§@$\»~¨                                          ¨~»\$@§@@#
#@@¤§=:«.,                                          ,.«:=§¤@@#
@#@§@$;=~.                                          .~=;$@§@#@
§£**=*^».¨                                          ¨.»^*=**£§
#@&^†«:.¨¨                                          ¨¨.:«†^&@#