#§:.,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,.:§#
£%:..,,,,,                                          ,,,,,..:%£
##£#%§:=.,                                          ,.=:§%#£##
##£#%§:=.,                                          ,.=:§%#£##
£££#%§:=.,                                          ,.=:§%#£££
##£#%§:=.,         # ==================== #         ,.=:§%#£##
####%§:=.,         : 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.       ¨.~=^££¶##
@#£££*=-^¨                                          ¨^-=*£££#@
@###@**~,¨                                          ¨,~**@###@
#@¶¤*=/~^¨                                          ¨^~/=*¤¶@#
@££§%~-^..                                          ..^-~%§££@
¶£££%=\~.¨                                          ¨.~\=%£££¶