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