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