#§§«......                                          ......«§§#
@@@#$§=«^.                                          .^«=§$#@@@
##@@#§=«^.                                          .^«=§#@@##
@$=^......                                          ......^=$@
#@@#$§=«^.                                          .^«=§$#@@#
@##$§«^^..         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ..^^«§$##@
@#$§«.....         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         .....«§$#@
#@@#$§=«^.         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         .^«=§$#@@#
#@@#$§=«^.         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         .^«=§$#@@#
#@@#$§=«^.         =  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  =         .^«=§$#@@#
@@$==«^^..         =  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  =         ..^^«==$@@
@#§=«^.... 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.  ¨~«**^^%##
#§$»~,-,.¨       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ¨.,-,~»$§#
#@£&%*/=:.                                          .:=/*%&£@#
£$%»»-,,,¨                                          ¨,,,-»»%$£
###@@§:«.¨                                          ¨.«:§@@###
¤§%»,.,,.¨                                          ¨.,,.,»%§¤
####&%=«-¨                                          ¨-«=%&####