@£¤¤%:=:¨¨                                          ¨¨:=:%¤¤£@
#@£¤¤%:=:¨                                          ¨:=:%¤¤£@#
@£¤¤%:=:¨¨                                          ¨¨:=:%¤¤£@
£¤¤%:=:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:=:%¤¤£
¤¤%:=:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:=:%¤¤
¤%:=:¨¨¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨¨¨:=:%¤
%:=:¨¨¨¨¨¨         : 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.        ¨.¨¨,~=:**
£$^/~,..,¨                                          ¨,..,~/^$£
££§^:=-¨,.                                          .,¨-=:^§££
#¶@¤§/«^,,                                          ,,^«/§¤@¶#
#@@§@*;~^¨                                          ¨^~;*@§@@#
@#¤£%:~..,                                          ,..~:%£¤#@