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