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