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