@$$=«...¨¨                                          ¨¨...«=$$@
#@@£$%=«.¨                                          ¨.«=%$£@@#
££%%==.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.==%%££
@@@£$%=«.¨                                          ¨.«=%$£@@@
£££$$%=«.¨                                          ¨.«=%$$£££
@£$%=.¨¨¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨¨¨.=%$£@
@£$%=..¨¨¨         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ¨¨¨..=%$£@
£%%=.¨¨¨¨¨         = 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,                   ,^~**$@@@#
&&@*†~,.¨.                                          .¨.,~†*@&&
#£=-^.....  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .....^-=£#
##@££*^=~,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,~=^*££@##
#¶£@%††«:.                                          .:«††%@£¶#
¤¤&/=¨,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,¨=/&¤¤
&£††=*~.¨,                                          ,¨.~*=††£&
###£$^/~,.                                          .,~/^$£###
##£&**/-,¨                                          ¨,-/**&£##