%%\~-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-~\%%
%\~-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~\%
%%\~-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-~\%%
¶%%\~-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-~\%%¶
#¶%%\~-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-~\%%¶#
##¶%%\~-¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨-~\%%¶##
###¶%%\~-¨         \ 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.       ,¨¨.:«*§§¶
¤^:»:¨,..,                                          ,..,¨:»:^¤
*:»,.,¨,..                                          ..,¨,.,»:*
$*:-:,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,:-:*$
@&§;~,,¨..                                          ..¨,,~;§&@
##*$/«:,¨,                                          ,¨,:«/$*##