¶¶¤††^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^††¤¶¶
@@¶¤¤^†-^¨                                          ¨^-†^¤¤¶@@
#@¶¤¤^†-^¨                                          ¨^-†^¤¤¶@#
#@¶¤¤^†-^¨                                          ¨^-†^¤¤¶@#
@@¶¤¤^†-^¨                                          ¨^-†^¤¤¶@@
¤^†-^^^¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨^^^-†^¤
@¶¶¤¤^†-^¨         † 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.       .:~\^%§@##
@§@*%*=«,¨                                          ¨,«=*%*@§@
¶$¤$-,¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨,-$¤$¶
@£#%-~~¨,,                                          ,,¨~~-%#£@
@¤%@*=†=-,                                          ,-=†=*@%¤@
###&£*^«,,                                          ,,«^*£&###