##¶£*§;~.¨                                          ¨.~;§*£¶##
#¶£*§;~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~;§*£¶#
##¶£*§;~.¨                                          ¨.~;§*£¶##
#¶£*§;~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~;§*£¶#
##¶£*§;~.¨                                          ¨.~;§*£¶##
#¶£*§;~.¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨.~;§*£¶#
##¶£*§;~.¨         ; 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.       .¨.=:%¤@@#
##¶&%$=»:,                                          ,:»=$%&¶##
###£†/~:.,                                          ,.:~/†£###
##¶&£===,.                                          .,===£&¶##
#@&$=:».,.                                          .,.»:=$&@#
####@†*=^¨                                          ¨^=*†@####