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