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