##@#&§*«-¨                                          ¨-«*§&#@##
#§*-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-*§#
#&***-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-***&#
##@##&§«-¨                                          ¨-«§&##@##
##@##&*«-¨                                          ¨-«*&##@##
#@##&§*«-¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨-«*§&##@#
#§««-¨¨¨¨¨         * 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.        ,,.,¨,~*£#
##£#%===..                                          ..===%#£##
##@&§%*~:.                                          .:~*%§&@##
##@&§=/».¨                                          ¨.»/=§&@##
####§=:«~,                                          ,~«:=§####
£§§\~,,,¨.                                          .¨,,,~\§§£