¤£%/-^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^-/%£¤
#¤£%/-^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^-/%£¤#
##¤£%/-^¨¨                                          ¨¨^-/%£¤##
###¤£%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%£¤###
##¤£%/-^¨¨                                          ¨¨^-/%£¤##
#¤£%/-^¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨^-/%£¤#
¤£%/-^¨¨¨¨         / 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.  ,,,,¨.-=;†
$†;»,.,.¨¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨¨.,.,»;†$
&&*;~^,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,^~;*&&
#@£*/~..¨,                                          ,¨..~/*£@#
##£%**~:.¨                                          ¨.:~**%£##
###§£*/-.,                                          ,.-/*£§###
##&¤**~~¨.                                          .¨~~**¤&##