£*^=.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.=^*£
@£*^=.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.=^*£@
#@£*^=.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.=^*£@#
##@£*^=.¨¨                                          ¨¨.=^*£@##
###@£*^=.¨                                          ¨.=^*£@###
##@£*^=.¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨.=^*£@##
#@£*^=.¨¨¨         ^ 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.       .¨¨.¨,^»==
\~.,.¨.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.¨.,.~\
==~~,,¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨,,~~==
§*†»...,,,                                          ,,,...»†*§
#*%;~..¨¨.                                          .¨¨..~;%*#
£@@==~~..,                                          ,..~~==@@£