¨^»/§§§$£¶                                          ¶£$§§§/»^¨
¨¨¨^/§$£¶#                                          #¶£$§/^¨¨¨
¨^»/§$£¶##                                          ##¶£$§/»^¨
¨¨¨¨»»§§$£                                          £$§§»»¨¨¨¨
¨^^^»§§$¶¶                                          ¶¶$§§»^^^¨
¨^»/§$£¶##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##¶£$§/»^¨
¨^»/§$£¶##         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ##¶£$§/»^¨
¨^»//§$£¶¶         / IN A STALE TIMELINE, /         ¶¶£$§//»^¨
¨^»/§£¶###         /  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,                   ###§&$/~,,
¨,.,,-^@##                                          ##@^-,,.,¨
¨¨,¨.-=££@  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  @££=-.¨,¨¨
.~:%£@£@##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##@£@£%:~.
¨:«:†££@##                                          ##@££†:«:¨
...¨,-«†=#                                          #=†«-,¨...
..¨,,¨-^%#                                          #%^-¨,,¨..
¨¨,¨..»\*#                                          #*\»..¨,¨¨
.,~=*$¤@£@                                          @£@¤$*=~,.