¶£%*^~-...                                          ...-~^*%£¶
£%*^~-....                                          ....-~^*%£
%*^~-.....                                          .....-~^*%
£%*^~-....                                          ....-~^*%£
¶£%*^~-...                                          ...-~^*%£¶
#¶£%*^~-..         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ..-~^*%£¶#
##¶£%*^~-.         ^ 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.        ¨.^»;*&£@#
###@$%†~^.                                          .^~†%$@###
#@£&*;=...                                          ...=;*&£@#
@¤£%=~,,,,                                          ,,,,~=%£¤@
@£%*=,,.¨,                                          ,¨.,,=*%£@
%*^~^,.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.,^~^*%