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