#££$=¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨=$££#
#@#§£$\=,¨                                          ¨,=\$£§#@#
##@#§$\=,¨                                          ¨,=\$§#@##
#@#§£$\=,¨                                          ¨,=\$£§#@#
#@#§£$\=,¨                                          ¨,=\$£§#@#
@##§£$\=,¨         # ==================== #         ¨,=\$£§##@
#@#§£$\=,¨         \ 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.       ,^=†=%&@@#
#@§*;,¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨,;*§@#
#@#§@$*=,,                                          ,,=*$@§#@#
#@§£*;.^,¨                                          ¨,^.;*£§@#
#£#&$*\«~.                                          .~«\*$&#£#
#&£††.¨,,,                                          ,,,¨.††£&#