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