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