¶§§¤^^«¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨«^^¤§§¶
#¶¤*«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«*¤¶#
¶¶¶§¤*^«.¨                                          ¨.«^*¤§¶¶¶
##¶§¤*^«.¨                                          ¨.«^*¤§¶##
###§¤*^«.¨                                          ¨.«^*¤§###
§¤^«¨¨¨¨¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨«^¤§
#¶¤*«.¨¨¨¨         ^ 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.        ¨¨,..~=£##
#^~,,¨.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.¨,,~^#
####§*:»,¨                                          ¨,»:*§####
##@&$^;~..                                          ..~;^$&@##
##£@§§/~:.                                          .:~/§§@£##
@#£@£*†-^¨                                          ¨^-†*£@£#@