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