¶£%†=.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.=†%£¶
##¶£§%†=.¨                                          ¨.=†%§£¶##
¶£§§%†==.¨                                          ¨.==†%§§£¶
##¶£§%†=.¨                                          ¨.=†%§£¶##
##¶£§%†=.¨                                          ¨.=†%§£¶##
##¶£§%†=.¨         # ==================== #         ¨.=†%§£¶##
###¶£§†=.¨         † 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.       ¨^.::**%%@
#£$†«.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.«†$£#
@#£@@%\~,¨                                          ¨,~\%@@£#@
##@#£§^«~¨                                          ¨~«^§£#@##
#@£@$%/~,¨                                          ¨,~/%$@£@#
££&%-,.,¨.                                          .¨,.,-%&££