£¤$«.,,,,,                                          ,,,,,.«$¤£
¤%%=.,,,,,                                          ,,,,,.=%%¤
##£¤%$=«.,                                          ,.«=$%¤£##
£%%=«...,,                                          ,,...«=%%£
##£¤%$=«.,                                          ,.«=$%¤£##
##£¤%$=«.,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,.«=$%¤£##
##£¤%$=«.,         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ,.«=$%¤£##
¤¤$$===«.,         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ,.«===$$¤¤
#¤%=«,,,,,         =  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.        ¨,¨..^†^¤§
##@#%$\»,.                                          .,»\$%#@##
@%%*».,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.»*%%@
##@##%;«-¨                                          ¨-«;%##@##
#@%;««.,.,                                          ,.,.««;%@#
@£¶§£=\~^¨                                          ¨^~\=£§¶£@