##@¤&^=~^.                                          .^~=^&¤@##
#@¤&^=~^..                                          ..^~=^&¤@#
##@¤&^=~^.                                          .^~=^&¤@##
#@¤&^=~^..                                          ..^~=^&¤@#
##@¤&^=~^.                                          .^~=^&¤@##
#@¤&^=~^..         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ..^~=^&¤@#
##@¤&^=~^.         = 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,                   ,,~:$*@£##
@#¤$=\--.¨                                          ¨.--\=$¤#@
###£%§\~,,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,,~\§%£###
#¶§%%*«-¨.       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        .¨-«*%%§¶#
#@@&**†=,,                                          ,,=†**&@@#
##¤$*/~,,.                                          .,,~/*$¤##
####£*:=.,                                          ,.=:*£####
#@&**†=:.¨                                          ¨.:=†**&@#
#@¶§£*^«~.                                          .~«^*£§¶@#