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