&&£**^^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^^**£&&
###@£†*~^¨                                          ¨^~*†£@###
##@&£†*~^¨                                          ¨^~*†£&@##
&£†~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~†£&
&&£†~~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~~†£&&
&£†*^¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨^*†£&
##@&£†*~^¨         * 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.       ¨~=^†£#£##
£%^*%*/~,.                                          .,~/*%*^%£
##@@&$*=^,                                          ,^=*$&@@##
###&¤*==-¨                                          ¨-==*¤&###
#@#§%=†=~¨                                          ¨~=†=%§#@#
#££#%$=»-.                                          .-»=$%#££#