££$$=~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~=$$££
£&$†=--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--=†$&£
##£&$†=-~¨                                          ¨~-=†$&£##
##£&$†=-~¨                                          ¨~-=†$&£##
&†=-~~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~~-=†&
&†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†&
&†-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         = 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.  ¨-«^*£####
##¶§%$:~-.       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        .-~:$%§¶##
£†^-¨,,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,,¨-^†£
¶¤%=-¨,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,¨-=%¤¶
##@@¤@==:.                                          .:==@¤@@##
###&%§:-,,                                          ,,-:§%&###
#£§**†\~:,                                          ,:~\†**§£#