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