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