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