###@*=»,¨¨                                          ¨¨,»=*@###
##@*=»,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,»=*@##
#@*=»,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,»=*@#
@*=»,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,»=*@
*=»,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»=*
@*=»,¨¨¨¨¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨¨¨¨¨,»=*@
#@*=»,¨¨¨¨         = 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.       .,=/*&####
#@£&$:»~.,                                          ,.~»:$&£@#
@#£†=»,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,»=†£#@
#¤=/=-....                                          ....-=/=¤#
£*\~:¨,...                                          ...,¨:~\*£
=/-,¨..,.¨                                          ¨.,..¨,-/=