###§£^*»^¨                                          ¨^»*^£§###
§^^**^^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^^**^^§
###§£^*»^¨                                          ¨^»*^£§###
###§£^*»^¨                                          ¨^»*^£§###
#§^*»¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨»*^§#
#§§£**^¨¨¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨¨¨^**£§§#
§§^**»^¨¨¨         * 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.       .¨,-~\/†§&
##*~,:¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨:,~*##
##%^,:...,                                          ,...:,^%##
##@#**^-,.                                          .,-^**#@##
##@#£§=:-¨                                          ¨-:=§£#@##
##@#*%;=:,                                          ,:=;%*#@##