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