##@¤£%/--¨                                          ¨--/%£¤@##
#@¤£%/--¨¨                                          ¨¨--/%£¤@#
@¤£%/--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--/%£¤@
¤£%/--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--/%£¤
@¤£%/--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--/%£¤@
#@¤£%/--¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨--/%£¤@#
##@¤£%/--¨         / 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.  ¨.,-»;%£@@
£%$/~^.,¨,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,¨,.^~/$%£
#§*†;=,¨.,                                          ,.¨,=;†*§#
#@@$*:~:¨,                                          ,¨:~:*$@@#
##@¤$$†~.¨                                          ¨.~†$$¤@##
#@¤$*†»,,.                                          .,,»†*$¤@#
£&§*^-,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,-^*§&£