#£&&&*\»-¨                                          ¨-»\*&&&£#
#£&&\\-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-\\&&£#
##£&&*\»-¨                                          ¨-»\*&&£##
£&*»¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨»*&£
###£&*\»-¨                                          ¨-»\*&£###
###£&*\»-¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨-»\*&£###
###£&*\»-¨         \ 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.        ¨..,,~*%##
###§@§^«-,                                          ,-«^§@§###
#@¶@%§:~~¨                                          ¨~~:§%@¶@#
£%†»¨¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨¨»†%£
#¤@#%*†»,,                                          ,,»†*%#@¤#
&&^-»^,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,^»-^&&