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