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