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