@%%%~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~%%%@
##@@$%†~.¨                                          ¨.~†%$@@##
##@@$%†~.¨                                          ¨.~†%$@@##
#@$†~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~†$@#
@@$$%%†~.¨                                          ¨.~†%%$$@@
##@@$%†~.¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨.~†%$@@##
@$†.¨¨¨¨¨¨         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ¨¨¨¨¨¨.†$@
##@@$%†~.¨         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ¨.~†%$@@##
@@$%%~..¨¨         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ¨¨..~%%$@@
@%†††.¨¨¨¨         †  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.       ¨,¨-~-%£@£
###£@£/».¨                                          ¨.»/£@£###
#@#¤£=†~,.                                          .,~†=£¤#@#
#@##*=*»:,                                          ,:»*=*##@#
#£¤&$**»^.                                          .^»**$&¤£#
###££%^;«^                                          ^«;^%££###