##£#£$*=-¨                                          ¨-=*$£#£##
£#$=-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-=$#£
####£$*=-¨                                          ¨-=*$£####
###££$*=-¨                                          ¨-=*$££###
###£$**=-¨                                          ¨-=**$£###
##£#£$*=-¨         # ==================== #         ¨-=*$£#£##
£#$***-¨¨¨         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ¨¨¨-***$#£
##£#£$*=-¨         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ¨-=*$£#£##
###£#$*=-¨         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ¨-=*$#£###
##£#£$*=-¨         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         ¨-=*$£#£##
£££*-¨¨¨¨¨         *  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.       ,¨¨¨~,»**£
#@£¤£*;~,¨                                          ¨,~;*£¤£@#
@&^$~,..,¨                                          ¨,..,~$^&@
@§%$§§\»-.                                          .-»\§§$%§@
@££%@§^~..                                          ..~^§@%££@
§=^~¨.,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,.¨~^=§