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