###£¤%†«..                                          ..«†%¤£###
££££¤%†«..                                          ..«†%¤££££
###£¤%†«..                                          ..«†%¤£###
£¤†««.....                                          .....««†¤£
###£¤%†«..                                          ..«†%¤£###
###£¤%†«..         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ..«†%¤£###
###£¤%†«..         † 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.       ¨:-*%$@@##
¤&*/=^¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨^=/*&¤
¶@=*«,¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨,«*=@¶
££#&$$/~~,                                          ,~~/$$&#££
###&&%/-^.                                          .^-/%&&###
##££%%;~:,                                          ,:~;%%££##