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