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