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