£*/~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~/*£
*/~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~/*
/~,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,~/
*/~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~/*
£*/~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~/*£
¶£*/~,,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,,~/*£¶
#¶£*/~,,,,         / 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.        ,.,~=§%@##
#@%*†«^.,,                                          ,,.^«†*%@#
££=;~~¨,..                                          ..,¨~~;=££
$^*~-¨.,.¨                                          ¨.,.¨-~*^$
%^»~..,.,,                                          ,,.,..~»^%
;«,,,¨.,¨,                                          ,¨,.¨,,,«;