@##¤*†~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~†*¤##@
#@##¤*†~.¨                                          ¨.~†*¤##@#
@##¤*†~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~†*¤##@
##¤*†~.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.~†*¤##
#¤*†~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~†*¤#
¤*†~.¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨.~†*¤
#¤*†~.¨¨¨¨         † 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,                   ,,-~***@@#
££&=/«,.,.                                          .,.,«/=&££
§$$^»,,..¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨..,,»^$$§
&$/«.,,...       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ...,,.«/$&
@%=†~,¨.,,                                          ,,.¨,~†=%@
@@%*;~,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,~;*%@@
@¶¤%*†~..¨                                          ¨..~†*%¤¶@
#@¶&&=^=,,                                          ,,=^=&&¶@#
#¶@%§*~-.,                                          ,.-~*§%@¶#