#@&%^/~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~/^%&@#
@&%^/~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~/^%&@
&%^/~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~/^%&
%^/~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~/^%
^/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/^
/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         / 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.  ,,,=^§%£#@
###@§$=»,,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,,»=$§@###
##@§%;~-,¨                                          ¨,-~;%§@##
##$$†=-,,¨                                          ¨,,-=†$$##
&&*\«.,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,.«\*&&
%$†»,.¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨.,»†$%
%\~,,,,.,,                                          ,,.,,,,~\%