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