£§&†/~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~/†&§£
#£§&†/~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~/†&§£#
##£§&†/~:¨                                          ¨:~/†&§£##
#£§&†/~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~/†&§£#
£§&†/~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~/†&§£
§&†/~:¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨:~/†&§
£§&†/~:¨¨¨         / 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,                   ¨,,:~/%£&£
#@§$*/»,¨,                                          ,¨,»/*$§@#
#@#£$%†~~,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,~~†%$£#@#
#@§%$:=,.¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨.,=:$%§@#
¶£¤^;-...¨                                          ¨...-;^¤£¶
@¤^:«^.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.^«:^¤@
#££==».¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.»==££#
@@@$%;~:,¨                                          ¨,:~;%$@@@
##¶¤£§^~,¨                                          ¨,~^§£¤¶##