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