@@@&£*=«^¨                                          ¨^«=*£&@@@
&£*«««^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^«««*£&
@@@&£*=«^¨                                          ¨^«=*£&@@@
&&&£**=«^¨                                          ¨^«=**£&&&
@&£=«^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^«=£&@
##@&£*=«^¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨^«=*£&@##
&*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨         = 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.  .,-:^%£¶@#
#@#§$§†»^.        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       .^»†§$§#@#
£@£%--¨,,,                                          ,,,¨--%£@£
@##£%%=«,.                                          .,«=%%£##@
@§%\\*«,¨.                                          .¨,«*\\%§@
#&£*~»,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,»~*£&#
##¶@**/-,,                                          ,,-/**@¶##