###@£*:~,¨                                          ¨,~:*£@###
#@@££*:~,¨                                          ¨,~:*££@@#
###@£*:~,¨                                          ¨,~:*£@###
#@@@£*:~,¨                                          ¨,~:*£@@@#
#££***:~,¨                                          ¨,~:***££#
#£*~,¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨,~*£#
#@**:::~,¨         : 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,                   .^«:§$¤###
#%;/†-:-,¨                                          ¨,-:-†/;%#
#§&*==:¨,¨  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¨,¨:==*&§#
@#%;~,,,¨,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,¨,,,~;%#@
#@@@$=/~^¨                                          ¨^~/=$@@@#
###¶&§*†^,                                          ,^†*§&¶###
##@¤*%†=:,                                          ,:=†%*¤@##
¶&*=*;~:-,                                          ,-:~;*=*&¶
##¶@£$†«^.                                          .^«†$£@¶##