##&$%/».¨¨                                          ¨¨.»/%$&##
#&$%/».¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.»/%$&#
&$%/».¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.»/%$&
$%/».¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.»/%$
&$%/».¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.»/%$&
#&$%/».¨¨¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨¨¨.»/%$&#
##&$%/».¨¨         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ¨¨.»/%$&##
###&$%/».¨         / IN A STALE TIMELINE, /         ¨.»/%$&###
##&$%/».¨¨         /  BRANCHED WAY BACK   /         ¨¨.»/%$&##
#&$%/».¨¨¨         /  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  /         ¨¨¨.»/%$&#
&$%/».¨¨¨¨         /  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  /         ¨¨¨¨.»/%$&
$%/».¨¨¨¨¨  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨¨.»/%$
&$%/».¨¨¨¨  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¨¨¨¨.»/%$&
#&$%/».¨¨¨         /        AT ALL...     /         ¨¨¨.»/%$&#
##&$%/».¨¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨¨.»/%$&##
#@##%$/~-.                                          .-~/$%##@#
@#¤¤†=«-¨,     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.       ¨.¨,«^%¤¤@
@@£$%\-^¨¨                                          ¨¨^-\%$£@@
#@£#$*^»,,                                          ,,»^*$#£@#
#@@§=;«,¨.                                          .¨,«;=§@@#
#§£*=--.,¨                                          ¨,.--=*£§#
&$$\«..¨¨,                                          ,¨¨..«\$$&