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