¶$$$^^†~-¨                                          ¨-~†^^$$$¶
¶$$$††~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~††$$$¶
#¶¶&$^†~-¨                                          ¨-~†^$&¶¶#
¶&^~-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-~^&¶
###¶&$^†-¨                                          ¨-†^$&¶###
¶$†~~¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨~~†$¶
##¶&$^†~-¨         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ¨-~†^$&¶##
¶$$$^†-¨¨¨         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ¨¨¨-†^$$$¶
##¶&$^†~-¨         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ¨-~†^$&¶##
¶&$$$^†~-¨         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ¨-~†^$$$&¶
##¶&$^†~-¨         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ¨-~†^$&¶##
&^^~~~¨¨¨¨  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,                   .^=^§*=¤£#
¶##¤£$^~:¨                                          ¨:~^$£¤##¶
##£¤$*†=^.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .^=†*$¤£##
¶¤$=/^¨.¨,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,¨.¨^/=$¤¶
@£¤§%$\»,,                                          ,,»\$%§¤£@
#¤&$£*†»:.                                          .:»†*£$&¤#
##££%^*~^.                                          .^~*^%££##
##@££§*«.¨                                          ¨.«*§££@##
###£@†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†@£###