££@@†~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~†@@££
#£$~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$£#
###£@$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$@£###
£££@††,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,††@£££
###£@$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$@£###
###£@$†~,¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨,~†$@£###
###£@$†~,¨         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ¨,~†$@£###
##@$$~¨¨¨¨         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ¨¨¨¨~$$@##
###£@$†~,¨         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ¨,~†$@£###
##@†~,,¨¨¨         †  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.       ..¨.¨,~*%§
###¶$%/-,,                                          ,,-/%$¶###
¤=~,¨.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.¨,~=¤
###¤$%^=,¨                                          ¨,=^%$¤###
###¶#^\»:,                                          ,:»\^#¶###
@@$§*\~,.¨                                          ¨.,~\*§$@@