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