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