§*=«,.....                                          .....,«=*§
¤§*=«,....                                          ....,«=*§¤
£¤§*=«,...                                          ...,«=*§¤£
#£¤§*=«,..                                          ..,«=*§¤£#
##£¤§*=«,.                                          .,«=*§¤£##
#£¤§*=«,..         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ..,«=*§¤£#
£¤§*=«,...         = 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.        .¨¨¨¨,,«;=
=-,..,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,..,-=
=;~^.,.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.,.^~;=
*%/«:,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,:«/%*
#$%=-,¨.,,                                          ,,.¨,-=%$#
£#£*:-:,.¨                                          ¨.,:-:*£#£