##£§%$\~~.                                          .~~\$%§£##
#£§%$\~~..                                          ..~~\$%§£#
£§%$\~~...                                          ...~~\$%§£
§%$\~~....                                          ....~~\$%§
%$\~~.....                                          .....~~\$%
§%$\~~....         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ....~~\$%§
£§%$\~~...         \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \         ...~~\$%§£
#£§%$\~~..         \ 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.        ..,,-=\*£#
@¤¤=^»-..,                                          ,..-»^=¤¤@
##£¤**--..                                          ..--**¤£##
#@£#£*:-:.                                          .:-:*£#£@#
#@§£%=»~.¨                                          ¨.~»=%£§@#
¶@&$†»,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,»†$&@¶