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