@£%*~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~*%£@
£%*~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~*%£
%*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*%
£%*~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~*%£
@£%*~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~*%£@
¶@£%*~,¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨,~*%£@¶
#¶@£%*~,¨¨         * 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.        ..¨--/†&¤¶
§§†\~,¨...                                          ...¨,~\†§§
£$\-,.¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨.,-\$£
%:«:¨¨¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨¨¨:«:%
£*\«-,,,¨.                                          .¨,,,-«\*£
£&%\-^¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨^-\%&£