##¶&%%†~:.                                          .:~†%%&¶##
##¶&%%†~:.                                          .:~†%%&¶##
##¶&%%†~:.                                          .:~†%%&¶##
#&%%%%†~:.                                          .:~†%%%%&#
¶&%~:.....                                          .....:~%&¶
##¶&%%†~:.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .:~†%%&¶##
#¶%%††~...         † 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.       ¨,~\$*£@##
#§^^~,¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨,~^^§#
@@=~«:,..¨                                          ¨..,:«~=@@
##@§%*^~~,                                          ,~~^*%§@##
¶*^/«.,¨,,                                          ,,¨,.«/^*¶
@@£§%%=«:.                                          .:«=%%§£@@