#@#¤£$†«^.                                          .^«†$£¤#@#
@#¤£$†«^..                                          ..^«†$£¤#@
#¤£$†«^...                                          ...^«†$£¤#
@#¤£$†«^..                                          ..^«†$£¤#@
#@#¤£$†«^.                                          .^«†$£¤#@#
@#¤£$†«^..         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ..^«†$£¤#@
#¤£$†«^...         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ...^«†$£¤#
@#¤£$†«^..         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ..^«†$£¤#@
#@#¤£$†«^.         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         .^«†$£¤#@#
@#¤£$†«^..         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ..^«†$£¤#@
#¤£$†«^...         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ...^«†$£¤#
@#¤£$†«^..  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ..^«†$£¤#@
#@#¤£$†«^.  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  .^«†$£¤#@#
@#¤£$†«^..         †        AT ALL...     †         ..^«†$£¤#@
#¤£$†«^...         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ...^«†$£¤#
#¶#£^/~:,¨                                          ¨,:~/^£#¶#
##@&@^^«,,     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.        ¨.,»:%£@¶#
#§$§:=.,,¨                                          ¨,,.=:§$§#
#@££$^~,..                                          ..,~^$££@#
###&§*/~-,                                          ,-~/*§&###
@#§&^†»,¨¨                                          ¨¨,»†^&§#@
@#%%^»..¨¨                                          ¨¨..»^%%#@