£§/,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,/§£
##££§=/=,,                                          ,,=/=§££##
£§§§§=/=,,                                          ,,=/=§§§§£
#£££§=/=,,                                          ,,=/=§£££#
£§==,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,==§£
£§==,,,,,,         # ==================== #         ,,,,,,==§£
##££§=/=,,         / 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.        .-=/^§&@¤¤
##@§$=/«-,                                          ,-«/=$§@##
@@@:=\»»~.                                          .~»»\=:@@@
##@#¤=\«-,                                          ,-«\=¤#@##
@£*«~-,,..                                          ..,,-~«*£@
#¶¶&@†;=.¨                                          ¨.=;†@&¶¶#