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