#@##£=†«,,                                          ,,«†=£##@#
#=†«,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,«†=#
#@##£=†«,,                                          ,,«†=£##@#
#£††,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,††£#
##££==†«,,                                          ,,«†==££##
#@##£=†«,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,«†=£##@#
##£†,,,,,,         † 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.       ,,»/*§&£##
§§£†=¨¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨¨=†£§§
#@¶¤§%=«^¨                                          ¨^«=%§¤¶@#
##£$=**~~,                                          ,~~**=$£##
###¶¤£%~.,                                          ,.~%£¤¶###
£§$%»^,,.,                                          ,.,,^»%$§£