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