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