###§$§*=,,                                          ,,=*§$§###
###§$§*=,,                                          ,,=*§$§###
###§$§*=,,                                          ,,=*§$§###
#§$$$§*=,,                                          ,,=*§$$$§#
###§$§*=,,                                          ,,=*§$§###
##§$*==,,,         # ==================== #         ,,,==*$§##
#$$$*=,,,,         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ,,,,=*$$$#
§§§§===,,,         * 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.        .,..,=\\%#
@#¶@£%\«,.                                          .,«\%£@¶#@
@##§§===-.                                          .-===§§##@
#@¶&£$=--,                                          ,--=$£&¶@#
#@£¤£^:=,,                                          ,,=:^£¤£@#
##@£$%:»..                                          ..»:%$£@##