##@#$**»:,                                          ,:»**$#@##
@#$**»,,,,                                          ,,,,»**$#@
#@#&$**»:,                                          ,:»**$&#@#
###&$**»:,                                          ,:»**$&###
#@#&$**»:,                                          ,:»**$&#@#
#$$***»:,,         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ,,:»***$$#
#$*****»:,         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ,:»*****$#
#@#&$**»:,         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ,:»**$&#@#
&&**:,,,,,         *  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.       ¨,.¨=»;;§#
#£*-¨,,.,¨                                          ¨,.,,¨-*£#
@##&$††-:.                                          .:-††$&##@
@#@¤£*\-.¨                                          ¨.-\*£¤@#@
###§§=/~^.                                          .^~/=§§###
#@#§§†==:¨                                          ¨:==†§§#@#