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