#@$~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$@#
@@¤$$$;~.¨                                          ¨.~;$$$¤@@
@@@@¤$;~.¨                                          ¨.~;$¤@@@@
@@$~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$@@
@@¤$$;~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~;$$¤@@
##@@¤$;~.¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨.~;$¤@@##
##@@¤$;~.¨         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         ¨.~;$¤@@##
#@@¤;~..¨¨         ; 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@@  .-=\*$§@¶#
###£¤=/~:.   #@WHERE@THEY@CAME,@@#####AND#THEN####  .:~/=¤£###
#@#@&=†~..   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE/~   ..~†=&@#@#
@#£#£*\=:¨   »-BEING ~ STOLEN == FROM ~-~ THEM. ¨   ¨:=\*£#£#@
##@@%*/«~¨          ~~ .  ~«« ,  »¨  ~»  =          ¨~«/*%@@##
@§=~.¨.,¨.    ~   -~          :                ,    .¨,.¨.~=§@
¶%^~«-.,,.        ,      ¨          .      %        .,,.-«~^%¶
@#@@¤$*»:.                                          .:»*$¤@@#@
££@¤%%†=:¨                    ¨#,                   ¨:=†%%¤@££
#@£¤£%;~~,                                          ,~~;%£¤£@#
@#%*:.:¨.¨                   AND,                   ¨.¨:.:*%#@
£@***†^,..                                          ..,^†***@£
###¤*§^-,.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .,-^§*¤###
@£%*~«~.,,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,,.~«~*%£@
#*«-,¨¨,,.                                          .,,¨¨,-«*#
##@&£§*«,.                                          .,«*§£&@##
##¶#%%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%%#¶##
###§$^\=,.                                          .,=\^$§###
¤#$**~.,,¨                                          ¨,,.~**$#¤