##@¤£$/~-,                                          ,-~/$£¤@##
#@¤£$/~-,,                                          ,,-~/$£¤@#
@¤£$/~-,,,                                          ,,,-~/$£¤@
¤£$/~-,,,,                                          ,,,,-~/$£¤
£$/~-,,,,,                                          ,,,,,-~/$£
¤£$/~-,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,-~/$£¤
@¤£$/~-,,,         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ,,,-~/$£¤@
#@¤£$/~-,,         / IN A STALE TIMELINE, /         ,,-~/$£¤@#
##@¤£$/~-,         /  BRANCHED WAY BACK   /         ,-~/$£¤@##
#@¤£$/~-,,         /  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  /         ,,-~/$£¤@#
@¤£$/~-,,,         /  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  /         ,,,-~/$£¤@
¤£$/~-,,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ,,,,-~/$£¤
£$/~-,,,,,  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ,,,,,-~/$£
¤£$/~-,,,,         /        AT ALL...     /         ,,,,-~/$£¤
@¤£$/~-,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,-~/$£¤@
#¶@£§==~¨.                                          .¨~==§£@¶#
#@£#¤=/=,,     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.        ¨¨...«=*£§
£§£*=»^..¨                                          ¨..^»=*£§£
#£@&=;«,.¨                                          ¨.,«;=&@£#
###@$*;-.¨                                          ¨.-;*$@###
@@£*%\«:.¨                                          ¨.:«\%*£@@
#£¤*\-^..¨                                          ¨..^-\*¤£#