##¶@§^;~^.                                          .^~;^§@¶##
¶¶¶@§^;~^.                                          .^~;^§@¶¶¶
¶§;^......                                          ......^;§¶
###@§^;~^.                                          .^~;^§@###
@@§^~.....                                          .....~^§@@
¶@@@§^;~^.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .^~;^§@@@¶
@§§^^~~...         ; 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.  ¨,,,-~~~*¤
###££$:».¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨.»:$££###
##££&§†»..                                          ..»†§&££##
##£§£$^«-,                                          ,-«^$£§£##
@#§††:~..,                                          ,..~:††§#@
##$@$^;»^¨                                          ¨^»;^$@$##
¤£#^~«^,,.                                          .,,^«~^#£¤