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