#@#%$^~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~^$%#@#
@#%$^~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~^$%#@
#@#%$^~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~^$%#@#
##@#%$^~:¨                                          ¨:~^$%#@##
#@#%$^~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~^$%#@#
@#%$^~:¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨:~^$%#@
#@#%$^~:¨¨         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ¨¨:~^$%#@#
##@#%$^~:¨         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ¨:~^$%#@##
#@#%$^~:¨¨         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ¨¨:~^$%#@#
@#%$^~:¨¨¨         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ¨¨¨:~^$%#@
#@#%$^~:¨¨         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         ¨¨:~^$%#@#
##@#%$^~:¨  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨:~^$%#@##
#@#%$^~:¨¨  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¨¨:~^$%#@#
@#%$^~:¨¨¨         ^        AT ALL...     ^         ¨¨¨:~^$%#@
#@#%$^~:¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨:~^$%#@#
#@¶@¤$:~:¨                                          ¨:~:$¤@¶@#
@##@*^»,.,     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#     ,,.«;§¤§@#
##@@%*/~~¨ #$OF§@EXACTLY@@HOW@THEY§HAD@TRAVELED,%#  ¨~~/*%@@##
##§§=/~.¨¨   #&OF@THE@WAY#HOME@£TO¶THE#TIME£FROM#£  ¨¨.~/=§§##
@§£%=«-.¨.   ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,##@####AND@THEN@#@#  .¨.-«=%£§@
#¶@£§;«:¨.   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE^-   .¨:«;§£@¶#
####§^/=~¨   ~~BEING ~ STOLEN =~ FROM -~- THEM. ,   ¨~=/^§####
#@¤&%/»-¨¨          -= .  ~=- ¨  ~,  ,=  «          ¨¨-»/%&¤@#
#£@§=-,.¨,    ^   ,.          -                ¨    ,¨.,-=§@£#
##§$=†«..¨        ¨      .          .      †        ¨..«†=$§##
###§%==».¨                                          ¨.»==%§###
#@£$†;~,¨,                    ¨#.                   ,¨,~;†$£@#
@¤$=^~,.,.                                          .,.,~^=$¤@
#£&%§/»,¨¨                   AND,                   ¨¨,»/§%&£#
###¤%=\~,.                                          .,~\=%¤###
##¤@**~~,¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨,~~**@¤##
@&@*:--¨..        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ..¨--:*@&@
@@@§%:»:..                                          ..:»:%§@@@
##@£%*;~-,                                          ,-~;*%£@##
##@*$/«,..                                          ..,«/$*@##
#¤&*;-:.¨,                                          ,¨.:-;*&¤#
##&¤%;«~¨,                                          ,¨~«;%¤&##