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