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