§$%%«~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~«%%$§
###§$%†«~¨                                          ¨~«†%$§###
#§$††«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«††$§#
#§§%«~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~«%§§#
§%††††~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~††††%§
###§$%†«~¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨~«†%$§###
##§$$%†«~¨         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ¨~«†%$$§##
§§$%†~¨¨¨¨         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ¨¨¨¨~†%$§§
###§$%†«~¨         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ¨~«†%$§###
###§$%†«~¨         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ¨~«†%$§###
###§$%†«~¨         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ¨~«†%$§###
##§%%%†«~¨ 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.  ,,,=«:@£¶#
§§$^.¨¨,,¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨,,¨¨.^$§§
@&*^-,,,,.                                          .,,,,-^*&@
@¤%^-,.,.,                                          ,.,.,-^%¤@
@%§/,,..,¨                                          ¨,..,,/§%@
@%£/«.^.,.                                          .,.^.«/£%@
@#@==~»^,,                                          ,,^»~==@#@