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