#§¤%==-...                                          ...-==%¤§#
§¤%==-....                                          ....-==%¤§
¤%==-.....                                          .....-==%¤
%==-......                                          ......-==%
==-.......                                          .......-==
%==-......         # ==================== #         ......-==%
¤%==-.....         = 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.       ,.,»††$#@#
#@@¤@=\».¨                                          ¨.»\=@¤@@#
#@@¤§==.¨.                                          .¨.==§¤@@#
@@¤*^-~,..                                          ..,~-^*¤@@
£%^†-:.,¨,                                          ,¨,.:-†^%£
£%:-,¨¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨¨,-:%£