###£$*=«~,                                          ,~«=*$£###
£$$=~~,,,,                                          ,,,,~~=$$£
#£$*=«~,,,                                          ,,,~«=*$£#
££$$**=«~,                                          ,~«=**$$££
###£$*=«~,                                          ,~«=*$£###
#$=««,,,,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,,,,««=$#
###£$*=«~,         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ,~«=*$£###
###£$*=«~,         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ,~«=*$£###
£$=~,,,,,,         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         ,,,,,,~=$£
#££**««~,,         =  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.        .-«^=£#@##
@#¶@$=:»,,                                          ,,»:=$@¶#@
@¤$$%~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~%$$¤@
##@§£*;=-¨                                          ¨-=;*£§@##
&§%\~~:,¨¨                                          ¨¨,:~~\%§&
@¤£@@=†-:¨                                          ¨:-†=@@£¤@