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