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