###£*§/~-¨                                          ¨-~/§*£###
###£*§/~-¨                                          ¨-~/§*£###
###£*§/~-¨                                          ¨-~/§*£###
###£*§/~-¨                                          ¨-~/§*£###
#£*/-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-/*£#
###£*§/~-¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨-~/§*£###
###£*§/~-¨         / 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$%AWARENESS#    ¨,¨-†%£¤##
##££§%=«,.  #*OF%&EXACTLY&@HOW&THEY§HAD&TRAVELED,£# .,«=%§££##
##@§£§=-,,  #¤OF§THE@WAY£HOME@@TO¶THE@TIME£FROM##   ,,-=§£§@##
@£=~,,¨,..   #£WHERE#THEY@CAME,###@###AND@THEN###@  ..,¨,,~=£@
####@*==.¨   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE:=   ¨.==*@####
#@@§£§;-,¨   =~BEING = STOLEN ~= FROM ~-~ THEM. ¨   ¨,-;§£§@@#
###&%*^~~.          =- ¨  -»- ¨  =.  ,-  «          .~~^*%&###
###&$†;=-¨    ^   ,^          ^                ¨    ¨-=;†$&###
###&¤%^»,¨        ¨      ¨          ,      =        ¨,»^%¤&###
##@¤%*†-.,                                          ,.-†*%¤@##
@§$£†~¨,,.                    ¨#.                   .,,¨~†£$§@
###@@*†~,.                                          .,~†*@@###
#¶#§@%^~^,                   AND,                   ,^~^%@§#¶#
###@&†^-..                                          ..-^†&@###
§*£**%\-,¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨,-\%**£*§
####@§=^~,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,~^=§@####
#£#@¤*==^¨                                          ¨^==*¤@#£#
¤=$=...,¨,                                          ,¨,...=$=¤
##£§§%*=^¨                                          ¨^=*%§§£##
@¶%:†~,..¨                                          ¨..,~†:%¶@
##@§$††-^¨                                          ¨^-††$§@##