£%$=¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨=$%£
###@%$;=~¨                                          ¨~=;$%@###
@$;=¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨=;$@
£%;;=¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨=;;%£
££@%$===~¨                                          ¨~===$%@££
£%$;;~~¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨~~;;$%£
##£@%$;=~¨         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         ¨~=;$%@£##
@@@@%$;=~¨         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         ¨~=;$%@@@@
£%$;~~¨¨¨¨         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         ¨¨¨¨~~;$%£
##£@%$;=~¨         ;  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ;         ¨~=;$%@£##
£@$$;=¨¨¨¨         ;  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ;         ¨¨¨¨=;$$@£
££@%;;=~¨¨  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.        .-~/*%&###
#§§*=~¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨~=*§§#
#@%/,-,,.¨                                          ¨.,,-,/%@#
##@@£§†»:.                                          .:»†§£@@##
¶@£;=¨.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.¨=;£@¶
#¤@§@%*~^¨                                          ¨^~*%@§@¤#