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