¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤
@¶$*~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~*$¶@
¤¤$*~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~*$¤¤
#@¶¤$$*~,¨                                          ¨,~*$$¤¶@#
#@¶¤$$*~,¨                                          ¨,~*$$¤¶@#
@¤¤$**,¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨,**$¤¤@
@¤¤¤$$*~,¨         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ¨,~*$$¤¤¤@
@¤¤¤$$*~,¨         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ¨,~*$$¤¤¤@
#@¶¤$$*~,¨         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ¨,~*$$¤¶@#
¤$$$~~,,,¨         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         ¨,,,~~$$$¤
¤¤$$~~~~,¨         *  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  *         ¨,~~~~$$¤¤
@@¶¤$$*~,¨  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨,~*$$¤¶@@
#@¶¤$$*~,¨  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¨,~*$$¤¶@#
¶¤$$$$*~,¨         *        AT ALL...     *         ¨,~*$$$$¤¶
@¤$$~,¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨,~$$¤@
¶¶##&%;«,¨                                          ¨,«;%&##¶¶
##£#£*=~^,     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.  ..,¨,-*$=@
###^=»-.¨¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨¨.-»=^###
####&$^~~.                                          .~~^$&####
¤%;=~-~~,.                                          .,~~-~=;%¤
##@§£%*«,.                                          .,«*%£§@##
&=^;/^....                                          ....^/;^=&
##@@$%^~,¨                                          ¨,~^%$@@##