#£¤&^=«,,,                                          ,,,«=^&¤£#
£¤&^=«,,,,                                          ,,,,«=^&¤£
¤&^=«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«=^&¤
£¤&^=«,,,,                                          ,,,,«=^&¤£
#£¤&^=«,,,                                          ,,,«=^&¤£#
##£¤&^=«,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,«=^&¤£##
#£¤&^=«,,,         = 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,                   ¨..~**%§£@
¶£@^/~^,..                                          ..,^~/^@£¶
&$%:»~,,,,  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ,,,,~»:%$&
£@$§/~-,..        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ..,-~/§$@£
#@£§*=»^¨,                                          ,¨^»=*§£@#
#@£@%$*=:,                                          ,:=*$%@£@#
###*%:~:.,                                          ,.:~:%*###
#£@*^«-..¨                                          ¨..-«^*@£#
£%†/~:,..¨                                          ¨..,:~/†%£