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