£§=^»^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^»^=§£
#£§=^»^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^»^=§£#
##£§=^»^¨¨                                          ¨¨^»^=§£##
###£§=^»^¨                                          ¨^»^=§£###
##£§=^»^¨¨                                          ¨¨^»^=§£##
#£§=^»^¨¨¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨¨¨^»^=§£#
£§=^»^¨¨¨¨         ^ 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.  ,..«;§%&@#
@@$%:~.,,,       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ,,,.~:%$@@
¤&$:-,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,-:$&¤
$§==^.,,.¨                                          ¨.,,.^==§$
@*†:~,,..¨                                          ¨..,,~:†*@
#¤%^:»:,,.                                          .,,:»:^%¤#
#£¤%§:-~¨¨                                          ¨¨~-:§%¤£#