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