@$;;,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,;;$@
##@£$%;»,¨                                          ¨,»;%$£@##
##@£$%;»,¨                                          ¨,»;%$£@##
@$;»¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨»;$@
££%»,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,»%££
#@@£$%;»,¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨,»;%$£@@#
£$%;»¨¨¨¨¨         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         ¨¨¨¨¨»;%$£
£$;,¨¨¨¨¨¨         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         ¨¨¨¨¨¨,;$£
##@@£$%;,¨         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         ¨,;%$£@@##
@@$%»¨¨¨¨¨         ;  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ;         ¨¨¨¨¨»%$@@
#@@£$%;»,¨         ;  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ;         ¨,»;%$£@@#
@@£%%;;»,¨  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.        .:»/^*£@##
###¤$^:--,                                          ,--:^$¤###
##@£&%\»,¨                                          ¨,»\%&£@##
##£@£^\~:¨                                          ¨:~\^£@£##
#@££&==»,.                                          .,»==&££@#
##$:;»¨,..                                          ..,¨»;:$##