#@@££*=«.¨                                          ¨.«=*££@@#
@@£**=««.¨                                          ¨.««=**£@@
@@£*««¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨««*£@@
£*«.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«*£
@£**«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«**£@
@@@££*=«.¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨.«=*££@@@
##@££*=«.¨         = 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.       .,»=*§&###
####§%=~~¨                                          ¨~~=%§####
##¶&*^;«.,                                          ,.«;^*&¶##
#@@@**^»^¨                                          ¨^»^**@@@#
##@¤%%=-:,                                          ,:-=%%¤@##
@%=.....,,                                          ,,.....=%@