###££†\~^¨                                          ¨^~\†££###
###££†\~^¨                                          ¨^~\†££###
#£££\\^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^\\£££#
££†\~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~\†££
###££†\~^¨                                          ¨^~\†££###
##££††\~^¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨^~\††££##
##£†\^¨¨¨¨         \ 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@@##  ,,~:†$##@#
#@#¤§*\~^¨   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE;-   ¨^~\*§¤#@#
##@¤%%†~.¨   -»BEING ~ STOLEN ~» FROM ~~« THEM. .   ¨.~†%%¤@##
##¶§§$:«^.          =- ,  «-« ¨  -.  .«  «          .^«:$§§¶##
##@¤£=/=,¨    ~   ~^          ^                ¨    ¨,=/=£¤@##
##£@£*:-:,        ,      ,          ¨      ^        ,:-:*£@£##
@#£%;»==,,                                          ,,==»;%£#@
@&&†§%†-:,                   ¨#.                    ,:-†%§†&&@
#@$=:,,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,,:=$@#
&*†.^.,..,                   AND,                   ,..,.^.†*&
££##*=:»-.                                          .-»:=*##££
@¤*\,,¨..¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨..¨,,\*¤@
¶£¤=~~~...        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ...~~~=¤£¶
&$^\:,,,,,                                          ,,,,,:\^$&
#@£#¤*^--.                                          .--^*¤#£@#
£¤¤%:»»«-¨                                          ¨-«»»:%¤¤£
£@§*-,,,¨,                                          ,¨,,,-*§@£
£=†=^†*~~.                                          .~~*†^=†=£