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