#£&@==†--¨                                          ¨--†==@&£#
£&@†--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--†@&£
£@†-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-†@£
##£&@=†--¨                                          ¨--†=@&£##
£@††††-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-††††@£
##£&@=†--¨         # -------------------- #         ¨--†=@&£##
&@=----¨¨¨         † 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.       ,:«\=&§@##
§&$~-.,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,.-~$&§
#§&&%/==^.                                          .^==/%&&§#
####£**~-¨                                          ¨-~**£####
@%†*\^¨..,                                          ,..¨^\*†%@
#¤§/^:\-~¨                                          ¨~-\:^/§¤#