§§*\~-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-~\*§§
@§§*\~-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-~\*§§@
#@§§*\~-¨¨                                          ¨¨-~\*§§@#
##@§§*\~-¨                                          ¨-~\*§§@##
#@§§*\~-¨¨                                          ¨¨-~\*§§@#
@§§*\~-¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨-~\*§§@
§§*\~-¨¨¨¨         \ 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.       ....=/%*£#
§%§^«-.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.-«^§%§
%*=«-¨¨..,                                          ,..¨¨-«=*%
¤¤*;~,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,~;*¤¤
¶¤$$^~~.,.                                          .,.~~^$$¤¶
###¤^;=^,.                                          .,^=;^¤###