##£&%§^«~,                                          ,~«^§%&£##
#£&%§^«~,,                                          ,,~«^§%&£#
£&%§^«~,,,                                          ,,,~«^§%&£
&%§^«~,,,,                                          ,,,,~«^§%&
%§^«~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~«^§%
&%§^«~,,,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,,,~«^§%&
£&%§^«~,,,         ^ 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.  ¨..,¨:«*=%
§%$^-,.¨,¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨,¨.,-^$%§
#§%†;~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~;†%§#
#£#*†=-,..                                          ..,-=†*#£#
###&*§^»~,                                          ,~»^§*&###
#@£*$^~...                                          ...~^$*£@#
@#§%^=-..¨                                          ¨..-=^%§#@