#£#$^=~-¨¨                                          ¨¨-~=^$#£#
£#$^=~-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-~=^$#£
#$^=~-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-~=^$#
$^=~-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-~=^$
^=~-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~=^
$^=~-¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨-~=^$
#$^=~-¨¨¨¨         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ¨¨¨¨-~=^$#
£#$^=~-¨¨¨         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ¨¨¨-~=^$#£
#£#$^=~-¨¨         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         ¨¨-~=^$#£#
##£#$^=~-¨         =  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  =         ¨-~=^$#£##
#£#$^=~-¨¨         =  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  =         ¨¨-~=^$#£#
£#$^=~-¨¨¨  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨-~=^$#£
#$^=~-¨¨¨¨  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¨¨¨¨-~=^$#
$^=~-¨¨¨¨¨         =        AT ALL...     =         ¨¨¨¨¨-~=^$
^=~-¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~=^
@%†»~.¨..,                                          ,..¨.~»†%@
#@$*«-,¨,,     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     ,,¨,-«*$@#
#£**:=~.¨.   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.        ¨-»^*£§£##
#¶@%§^-^,¨                                          ¨,^-^§%@¶#
¶££^/~,..¨                                          ¨..,~/^££¶
¤£*†«,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,«†*£¤
@§*~,,,,.¨                                          ¨.,,,,~*§@
§†~,...,¨,                                          ,¨,...,~†§