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