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