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