#$==†,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,†==$#
###&$=†»,¨                                          ¨,»†=$&###
&&&$†††»,¨                                          ¨,»†††$&&&
##&=»¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨»=&##
&$$†»¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨»†$$&
##&&$=†»,¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨,»†=$&&##
#&$=†,,¨¨¨         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ¨¨¨,,†=$&#
&=††††,¨¨¨         † 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.        ,¨,¨,**:^£
##@£¤†\»,¨                                          ¨,»\†¤£@##
##@@£**»,.                                          .,»**£@@##
@^†~,..,¨.                                          .¨,..,~†^@
###¤¤%:~-,                                          ,-~:%¤¤###
####£*\~,¨                                          ¨,~\*£####