¤%†,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,†%¤
#@$$%%†~,¨                                          ¨,~†%%$$@#
@¤¤¤$%†~,¨                                          ¨,~†%$¤¤¤@
##@¤$%†~,¨                                          ¨,~†%$¤@##
@$$$$%†~,¨                                          ¨,~†%$$$$@
##@¤$%†~,¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨,~†%$¤@##
###@¤$%†,¨         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ¨,†%$¤@###
@@$$%~~~,¨         † 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.        ¨:-;%§£¶##
§*£££†\«,¨                                          ¨,«\†£££*§
##@¤***~-.                                          .-~***¤@##
@%%~=«.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.«=~%%@
##¶@£^†»^.                                          .^»†^£@¶##
##@£&$*~.¨                                          ¨.~*$&£@##