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