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