£$%*~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~*%$£
$%*~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~*%$
%*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*%
$%*~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~*%$
£$%*~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~*%$£
@£$%*~,¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨,~*%$£@
#@£$%*~,¨¨         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ¨¨,~*%$£@#
##@£$%*~,¨         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ¨,~*%$£@##
#@£$%*~,¨¨         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ¨¨,~*%$£@#
@£$%*~,¨¨¨         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         ¨¨¨,~*%$£@
£$%*~,¨¨¨¨         *  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  *         ¨¨¨¨,~*%$£
$%*~,¨¨¨¨¨  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨¨,~*%$
%*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨  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.       ¨,.,~;†£¤¶
@@†*~:,,.,                                          ,.,,:~*†@@
&*:=,.,,,.                                          .,,,.,=:*&
=*-...,,,,                                          ,,,,...-*=
£$*-^,¨.,,                                          ,,.¨,^-*$£
§£§;~^,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,^~;§£§