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