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