§£**~,....                                          ....,~**£§
@§£**~,...                                          ...,~**£§@
#@§£**~,..                                          ..,~**£§@#
##@§£**~,.                                          .,~**£§@##
#@§£**~,..                                          ..,~**£§@#
@§£**~,...         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ...,~**£§@
§£**~,....         * 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.        ..¨.,,=^=¤
£%*/-~...,                                          ,...~-/*%£
#¤%†^~,¨,,                                          ,,¨,~^†%¤#
##§£%/=,,¨                                          ¨,,=/%£§##
##@#%†=-^¨                                          ¨^-=†%#@##
##§£*^-,,.                                          .,,-^*£§##