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