¶¶£$^^..¨¨                                          ¨¨..^^$£¶¶
#@¶£@$^«.¨                                          ¨.«^$@£¶@#
¶¶¶£@$^«.¨                                          ¨.«^$@£¶¶¶
@@¶£@$^«.¨                                          ¨.«^$@£¶@@
£$«..¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨..«$£
#@¶£@$^«.¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨.«^$@£¶@#
@£££@$^«.¨         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ¨.«^$@£££@
#@¶£@$^«.¨         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ¨.«^$@£¶@#
£££@@$^«.¨         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ¨.«^$@@£££
#@¶£@$^«.¨         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ¨.«^$@£¶@#
#@¶£@$^«.¨         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         ¨.«^$@£¶@#
£££$««¨¨¨¨  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨««$£££
##¶£@$^«.¨  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¨.«^$@£¶##
¶@^«««««.¨         ^        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.  ¨-«:**&£##
##£¤$§;=^¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨^=;§$¤£##
#¶@/»^,,,¨                                          ¨,,,^»/@¶#
##@§$§\=-¨                                          ¨-=\§$§@##
###£#$=†=~                                          ~=†=$#£###
¶£¤*$§/=:.                                          .:=/§$*¤£¶
##@@&%^~,¨                                          ¨,~^%&@@##