#@##@*/~,¨                                          ¨,~/*@##@#
#@##@*/~,¨                                          ¨,~/*@##@#
#@/~~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~~/@#
#@##@*/~,¨                                          ¨,~/*@##@#
#@##@*/~,¨                                          ¨,~/*@##@#
#*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*#
#@/,¨¨¨¨¨¨         / 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.        ¨,,.«§*=§¤
@@£^==/»..                                          ..»/==^£@@
@$/\=.,.,¨                                          ¨,.,.=\/$@
@¤$%^~¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨~^%$¤@
#@@¤&†*=^¨                                          ¨^=*†&¤@@#
£@§*-~,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,~-*§@£