###£%*^«^¨                                          ¨^«^*%£###
####%*^«^¨                                          ¨^«^*%####
###£%*^«^¨                                          ¨^«^*%£###
###£%*^«^¨                                          ¨^«^*%£###
###£%*^«^¨                                          ¨^«^*%£###
####%*^«^¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨^«^*%####
#££%%*^«^¨         ^ 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.       .~-†%*¤£@#
#@#§%%/=..                                          ..=/%%§#@#
@##££$:~-,                                          ,-~:$££##@
¤¤§%%==.¨¨                                          ¨¨.==%%§¤¤
###@$^\~,,                                          ,,~\^$@###
@£&£*=...¨                                          ¨...=*£&£@