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