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