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