###§*†^«,.                                          .,«^†*§###
#**^««....                                          ....««^**#
##§§*†^«,.                                          .,«^†*§§##
###§*†^«,.                                          .,«^†*§###
###§*†^«,.                                          .,«^†*§###
###§*†^«,.         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         .,«^†*§###
###§*†^«,.         ^ 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.       ,,¨.-^,/£#
§§;,¨.¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨.¨,;§§
#@§£*~,¨,.                                          .,¨,~*£§@#
£@£§$^*-^.                                          .^-*^$§£@£
##¶£*§/-,¨                                          ¨,-/§*£¶##
&%».,¨.,,¨                                          ¨,,.¨,.»%&