##££$$^~,¨                                          ¨,~^$$££##
#££$$^~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~^$$££#
££$$^~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~^$$££
£$$^~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~^$$£
$$^~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~^$$
$^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^$
^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         ^ 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.       ,¨,,^»\=$#
@§**^~,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,~^**§@
##£*§*=~,.                                          .,~=*§*£##
##£#£%/-:,                                          ,:-/%£#£##
@¶£§*/~-¨¨                                          ¨¨-~/*§£¶@
##£^\~~.¨,                                          ,¨.~~\^£##