£$:--~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~--:$£
¶¶£§:--~~¨                                          ¨~~--:§£¶¶
#@¶£§$:-~¨                                          ¨~-:$§£¶@#
£§:~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~:§£
#@¶£§$:-~¨                                          ¨~-:$§£¶@#
##@¶£§$:-¨         # -------------------- #         ¨-:$§£¶@##
££§::-~¨¨¨         : 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.  ¨.,»»«:=¤£
#£*$//»,..        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ..,»//$*£#
§*%~~,,..,                                          ,..,,~~%*§
####&†:~-¨                                          ¨-~:†&####
#¤^~~,,.,,                                          ,,.,,~~^¤#
##@&@=/~,.                                          .,~/=@&@##
@@#£@†;«:.                                          .:«;†@£#@@