@$%====«:¨                                          ¨:«====%$@
@$%=««¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨««=%$@
£$$%%«:::¨                                          ¨:::«%%$$£
##@£$%=«:¨                                          ¨:«=%$£@##
££$$=«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«=$$££
@£$=«:¨¨¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨¨¨:«=$£@
#@@£$%=«:¨         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ¨:«=%$£@@#
££%=«:::¨¨         = 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.       ,.~/=£@@##
####£=:-,.                                          .,-:=£####
#&$£=-=.¨¨                                          ¨¨.=-=£$&#
###£$%=»^,                                          ,^»=%$£###
¶¤@§*,,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,,*§@¤¶
#¤*-,¨....                                          ....¨,-*¤#