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