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