£$:.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.:$£
#$::~~.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.~~::$#
@#£%~~..¨¨                                          ¨¨..~~%£#@
#@#£$%:~.¨                                          ¨.~:%$£#@#
£%:~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~:%£
#$%~¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨~%$#
#$$$$%:~.¨         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         ¨.~:%$$$$#
##£%:~..¨¨         : 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#¶   ,:=\%$§###
¤&†;~-..¨¨   ##WHERE@THEY#CAME,#######AND#THEN##@@  ¨¨..-~;†&¤
##¶@£*^»-¨   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE:=   ¨-»^*£@¶##
##@#£§*-^,   ~=BEING - STOLEN «» FROM --= THEM. .   ,^-*§£#@##
@#=†=,¨¨.,          -- ¨  ~=» .  =,  -»  =          ,.¨¨,=†=#@
###@$*^~,¨    ~   :,          .                ¨    ¨,~^*$@###
#$§^/:,¨¨¨        .      ,          ,      †        ¨¨¨,:/^§$#
#@@£$^*~,,                                          ,,~*^$£@@#
#@¶#%%;«~¨                    ,#.                   ¨~«;%%#¶@#
##@§§§/-~¨                                          ¨~-/§§§@##
#@#£*§/=.¨                   AND,                   ¨.=/§*£#@#
####$*^«,¨                                          ¨,«^*$####
&§**-»-,,¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨,,-»-**§&
£@££%*^»,¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨,»^*%££@£
@@*$%-¨.,,                                          ,,.¨-%$*@@
###£%$/»,.                                          .,»/$%£###
#¤§%~«-.,¨                                          ¨,.-«~%§¤#
###&*%/«~.                                          .~«/%*&###
£^-«,.,.¨,                                          ,¨.,.,«-^£