@&=†^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^†=&@
##@&&=†~^,                                          ,^~†=&&@##
##@&&=†~^,                                          ,^~†=&&@##
##@&&=†~^,                                          ,^~†=&&@##
&=~~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~~=&
#@&===†~^,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,^~†===&@#
##@&&=†~^,         † 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.  ..~*$£¤###
@#¶££%\~-¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨-~\%££¶#@
#@@#$§:~,.                                          .,~:§$#@@#
###@@&§*~¨                                          ¨~*§&@@###
##@@&§*-~.                                          .~-*§&@@##
@%§*~-.,..                                          ..,.-~*§%@
####@^=~,,                                          ,,~=^@####