,,,,,,«††&                                          &††«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«††                                          ††«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«†                                          †«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,«                                          «,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«†                                          †«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«††         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ††«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«††&         † 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.        &£†/-,,¨,.
.,¨¨.^»;§%                                          %§;»^.¨¨,.
.¨¨¨¨¨.-*%                                          %*-.¨¨¨¨¨.
.,.,,,.^-†                                          †-^.,,,.,.
¨¨.¨,,.¨^»                                          »^¨.,,¨.¨¨
,.¨¨¨.,,-^                                          ^-,,.¨¨¨.,