&**=,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,=**&
##¶&$*==,,                                          ,,==*$&¶##
&&&*=,,,,,                                          ,,,,,=*&&&
¶¶&$**==,,                                          ,,==**$&¶¶
##¶&$*==,,                                          ,,==*$&¶##
##¶&$*==,,         # ==================== #         ,,==*$&¶##
¶¶¶&$*==,,         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ,,==*$&¶¶¶
##¶&$*==,,         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ,,==*$&¶##
&$*=,,,,,,         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         ,,,,,,=*$&
¶&**====,,         =  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.        .¨,:«%§§@#
#£@;,~¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨~,;@£#
##£@£%=-,¨                                          ¨,-=%£@£##
£*%*/«.¨.,                                          ,.¨.«/*%*£
##¶¤¤†=~.¨                                          ¨.~=†¤¤¶##
¶@;^.¨¨,,.                                          .,,¨¨.^;@¶