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