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