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