#@#§$†=-¨¨                                          ¨¨-=†$§#@#
@#§$†=-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-=†$§#@
#§$†=-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-=†$§#
§$†=-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-=†$§
$†=-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-=†$
†=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=†
$†=-¨¨¨¨¨¨         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ¨¨¨¨¨¨-=†$
§$†=-¨¨¨¨¨         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ¨¨¨¨¨-=†$§
#§$†=-¨¨¨¨         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ¨¨¨¨-=†$§#
@#§$†=-¨¨¨         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ¨¨¨-=†$§#@
#@#§$†=-¨¨         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ¨¨-=†$§#@#
##@#§$†=-¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ¨-=†$§#@##
#@#§$†=-¨¨  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¨¨-=†$§#@#
@#§$†=-¨¨¨         †        AT ALL...     †         ¨¨¨-=†$§#@
#§$†=-¨¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨¨-=†$§#
£=*~-.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.-~*=£
%==:¨.,¨,.     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.        ,,,,~;$$¤¶
##§¤$/~~¨,                                          ,¨~~/$¤§##
###¤§*^-,¨                                          ¨,-^*§¤###
#@#%%\~,¨,                                          ,¨,~\%%#@#
@@£%:=,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,=:%£@@
&&=\-^,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,^-\=&&