£$$^««¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨««^$$£
¤$^«¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨«^$¤
##£¤$^^«,¨                                          ¨,«^^$¤£##
¤^^«,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,«^^¤
##£¤$^^«,¨                                          ¨,«^^$¤£##
##£¤$^^«,¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨,«^^$¤£##
##£¤$^^«,¨         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ¨,«^^$¤£##
£$^«,¨¨¨¨¨         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ¨¨¨¨¨,«^$£
##£¤$^^«,¨         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ¨,«^^$¤£##
##£¤$^^«,¨         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ¨,«^^$¤£##
###£¤^^«,¨         ^  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.        ¨,«=-=@£§@
@§$§»,^-¨¨                                          ¨¨-^,»§$§@
#$^~~.,,.,                                          ,.,,.~~^$#
###@*§^~,¨                                          ¨,~^§*@###
#@¶@§%:~,.                                          .,~:%§@¶@#
#@@@*§/~,,                                          ,,~/§*@@@#