##£¤£†^«,.                                          .,«^†£¤£##
##£¤£†^«,.                                          .,«^†£¤£##
£¤££^^^«,.                                          .,«^^^££¤£
¤£†^^^,...                                          ...,^^^†£¤
##£¤£†^«,.                                          .,«^†£¤£##
#£¤¤£†^«,.         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         .,«^†£¤¤£#
##£¤£†^«,.         ^ 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. .   .,,,,~\*%£
##@¤@*:-^¨          -~ ,  =-~ .  -¨  ~~  =          ¨^-:*@¤@##
§%%=-:..,,    -   :,          ,                ,    ,,..:-=%%§
£†§$=-.,,,        ,      ,          ¨      $        ,,,.-=$§†£
¤§=†«-¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨-«†=§¤
@^=^.....¨                    .#¨                   ¨.....^=^@
@£#%«,.,,¨                                          ¨,,.,«%#£@
@#%&\«¨..¨                   AND,                   ¨..¨«\&%#@
@§~:..,.,,                                          ,,.,..:~§@
#@=§==,¨..  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ..¨,==§=@#
@#@£%%/»:,       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ,:»/%%£@#@
####§*=~:¨                                          ¨:~=*§####
@@@¤$*^«:.                                          .:«^*$¤@@@
####£$=-^,                                          ,^-=$£####
#@@*^~«.¨.                                          .¨.«~^*@@#
@@@@%**»~.                                          .~»**%@@@@