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