££†=¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨=†££
#@£#£†*=~¨                                          ¨~=*†£#£@#
££†*=~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~=*†££
#†==¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨==†#
##†=~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~=†##
#@£#£†*=~¨         # ==================== #         ¨~=*†£#£@#
@@£#£†*=~¨         * 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=-   .,..¨.»-$&
&¤§@@=^«..   ~~BEING ~ STOLEN ~~ FROM «»» THEM. ¨   ..«^=@@§¤&
¶£*%%*^-~.          -~ ,  ~-~ ,  ~.  :~  «          .~-^*%%*£¶
#@@¤$%*-:,    .   ^.          ,                ,    ,:-*%$¤@@#
##£§&%;~,.        ¨      .          ¨      *        .,~;%&§£##
#@£@£%/«,¨                                          ¨,«/%£@£@#
###@¤¤%\~.                    ,#.                   .~\%¤¤@###
##¤/-..¨,.                                          .,¨..-/¤##
###§§=^~~.                   AND,                   .~~^=§§###
#@@£$=/-~¨                                          ¨~-/=$£@@#
#£§;^.,.¨¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨¨.,.^;§£#
@@£*:\~~-¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨-~~\:*£@@
##@&¤*:-^.                                          .^-:*¤&@##
#££*@$/-^,                                          ,^-/$@*££#
##¶§$*^«,¨                                          ¨,«^*$§¶##
#*%%=.,,,,                                          ,,,,.=%%*#
###&%$;~-,                                          ,-~;$%&###