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