@@$%%/«::¨                                          ¨::«/%%$@@
##@&$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$&@##
##@&$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$&@##
#@@&$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$&@@#
@@@&$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$&@@@
&%««:¨¨¨¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨¨¨¨:««%&
#@@&$%/«:¨         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ¨:«/%$&@@#
#@@&$%/«:¨         / IN A STALE TIMELINE, /         ¨:«/%$&@@#
@&%/«:¨¨¨¨         /  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.       ..-»††*@&#
###§¤=†=,,                                          ,,=†=¤§###
@@§*=^:»~,                                          ,~»:^=*§@@
@##@£%;«,.                                          .,«;%£@##@
###@¤*;=:¨                                          ¨:=;*¤@###
##¶¤%**-.¨                                          ¨.-**%¤¶##