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