£%%=«^....                                          ....^«=%%£
¶£%%=«^...                                          ...^«=%%£¶
#¶£%%=«^..                                          ..^«=%%£¶#
##¶£%%=«^.                                          .^«=%%£¶##
#¶£%%=«^..                                          ..^«=%%£¶#
¶£%%=«^...         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ...^«=%%£¶
£%%=«^....         = 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.  ¨¨:-/*£¤#@
¶#&$=--.¨.       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        .¨.--=$&#¶
&¤=†~^,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,^~†=¤&
§$:»-.¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨.-»:$§
¤£$;-^..¨¨                                          ¨¨..^-;$£¤
@§*§^=~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~=^§*§@
@@¤¤**»-..                                          ..-»**¤¤@@