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