££==\\«^^¨                                          ¨^^«\\==££
£*=«^^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^^«=*£
##@£*=\«^¨                                          ¨^«\=*£@##
@@£=«^^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^^«=£@@
#@**\^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^\**@#
##@£*=\«^¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨^«\=*£@##
##@£*=\«^¨         \ 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.       ¨¨..,\$£@§
#@¶¤£†/-~¨                                          ¨~-/†£¤¶@#
##@¤%==~,¨                                          ¨,~==%¤@##
£$==~-,..¨                                          ¨..,-~==$£
##¶&%$=~..                                          ..~=$%&¶##
@£§$*«,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,«*$§£@