##&==^,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,^==&##
###&*=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=*&###
#*=^^,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,^^=*#
###&*=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=*&###
&**=~~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~~=**&
##&&*=^~,¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨,~^=*&&##
#*=^,¨¨¨¨¨         ^ 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.  ¨.¨¨»«*$@#
##£#£§:~^,       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ,^~:§£#£##
###£§$^/~,                                          ,~/^$§£###
&%~¨..,,,.                                          .,,,..¨~%&
¶#$*/~~~,.                                          .,~~~/*$#¶
###£&%=»,,                                          ,,»=%&£###
#*†.¨¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨¨.†*#