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