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