£$§::::=~¨                                          ¨~=::::§$£
###£$§:=~¨                                          ¨~=:§$£###
#££§===¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨===§££#
#££$$§:=~¨                                          ¨~=:§$$££#
###£$§:=~¨                                          ¨~=:§$£###
£$:=¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨=:$£
###£$§:=~¨         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         ¨~=:§$£###
###£$§:=~¨         : IN A STALE TIMELINE, :         ¨~=:§$£###
£§§§::~~¨¨         :  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.  ,^»**£&£##
##£££$:--¨        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¨--:$£££##
§&;*«..¨,¨                                          ¨,¨..«*;&§
##£@§%*~,.                                          .,~*%§@£##
#£†^¨.¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨.¨^†£#
###§£§†=^.                                          .^=†§£§###
#@@=~,...,                                          ,...,~=@@#