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