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