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