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