@£$\-:,,,,                                          ,,,,:-\$£@
¶@£$\-:,,,                                          ,,,:-\$£@¶
#¶@£$\-:,,                                          ,,:-\$£@¶#
##¶@£$\-:,                                          ,:-\$£@¶##
#¶@£$\-:,,                                          ,,:-\$£@¶#
¶@£$\-:,,,         # -------------------- #         ,,,:-\$£@¶
@£$\-:,,,,         \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \         ,,,,:-\$£@
£$\-:,,,,,         \ 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.        .,¨¨¨,.,»†
*^«-,¨,.¨,                                          ,¨.,¨,-«^*
$%/»-,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,-»/%$
&$$:--,,,¨                                          ¨,,,--:$$&
£#*%^~,¨,,                                          ,,¨,~^%*#£
@#££†^».¨.                                          .¨.»^†££#@