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