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