##£%$;«,..                                          ..,«;$%£##
#£%$;«,...                                          ...,«;$%£#
£%$;«,....                                          ....,«;$%£
%$;«,.....                                          .....,«;$%
$;«,......                                          ......,«;$
%$;«,.....         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         .....,«;$%
£%$;«,....         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         ....,«;$%£
#£%$;«,...         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         ...,«;$%£#
##£%$;«,..         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         ..,«;$%£##
###£%$;«,.         ;  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ;         .,«;$%£###
##£%$;«,..         ;  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ;         ..,«;$%£##
#£%$;«,...  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ...,«;$%£#
£%$;«,....  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ....,«;$%£
%$;«,.....         ;        AT ALL...     ;         .....,«;$%
$;«,......         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ......,«;$
@^\~,¨,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,¨,~\^@
¤¤†/«-.¨,¨     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.       .-«:^££###
@£§$†:~~,¨                                          ¨,~~:†$§£@
£#%$\=~.,.                                          .,.~=\$%#£
#$$*=-¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨-=*$$#
%%=~-.,..,                                          ,..,.-~=%%
*:».,¨,...                                          ...,¨,.»:*