##£@$*/~~,                                          ,~~/*$@£##
##£@$*/~~,                                          ,~~/*$@£##
£@$/~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~/$@£
£$**/~~,,,                                          ,,,~~/**$£
£$/~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~/$£
#@**/~,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,~/**@#
##£@$*/~~,         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ,~~/*$@£##
@$$***/~~,         / IN A STALE TIMELINE, /         ,~~/***$$@
##£@$*/~~,         /  BRANCHED WAY BACK   /         ,~~/*$@£##
##£@$*/~~,         /  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  /         ,~~/*$@£##
##£@$*/~~,         /  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  /         ,~~/*$@£##
#£@@$*/~~, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ,~~/*$@@£#
##£@$*/~~,  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ,~~/*$@£##
##£@$*/~~,         /        AT ALL...     /         ,~~/*$@£##
##£@$*/~~,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,~~/*$@£##
£&#&%*/~:.                                          .:~/*%&#&£
¤&$£$†^«:¨     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.        ¨~.~,,*%¤&
#¤¤%*%/»^,                                          ,^»/%*%¤¤#
@£**:†*~,.                                          .,~*†:**£@
£*@*«~,...                                          ...,~«*@*£
##@§$$;-.¨                                          ¨.-;$$§@##
##@§%%^--¨                                          ¨--^%%§@##