@%**†-~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~-†**%@
###@%*†-~¨                                          ¨~-†*%@###
##@£%*†-~¨                                          ¨~-†*%£@##
@£%†-~~~¨¨                                          ¨¨~~~-†%£@
££££%*†-~¨                                          ¨~-†*%££££
@£%††-¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨-††%£@
##@£%*†-~¨         † 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,                   ¨~»;$%@£##
@@%*».¨..¨                                          ¨..¨.»*%@@
@#=*:†;=^,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,^=;†:*=#@
##@@@†;«^.       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        .^«;†@@@##
##@@§=*«,.                                          .,«*=§@@##
##£¤%=^-:,                                          ,:-^=%¤£##
#@@£%=*«.¨                                          ¨.«*=%£@@#
¤%*=,.¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨.,=*%¤
@#£$§%†~..                                          ..~†%§$£#@