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