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