¨¨,«†$$¤##                                          ##¤$$†«,¨¨
¨,«†$$¤###                                          ###¤$$†«,¨
¨¨,«†$$¤##                                          ##¤$$†«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«†$$¤#                                          #¤$$†«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«†$$¤                                          ¤$$†«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«†$$¤#         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         #¤$$†«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«†$$¤##         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ##¤$$†«,¨¨
¨,«†$$¤###         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ###¤$$†«,¨
¨¨,«†$$¤##         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ##¤$$†«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«†$$¤#         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         #¤$$†«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«†$$¤         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ¤$$†«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«†$$¤#  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #¤$$†«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«†$$¤##  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ##¤$$†«,¨¨
¨,«†$$¤###         †        AT ALL...     †         ###¤$$†«,¨
¨¨,«†$$¤##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##¤$$†«,¨¨
.,,,»;†%¤#                                          #¤%†;»,,,.
,¨¨,.=/*$£     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     £$*/=.,¨¨,
,..-~;*$§£   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   £§$*;~-..,
.¨:~†*$£@#  FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND #@£$*†~:¨.
¨,~†=%#@##  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.        @@%†/»~...
....^«*$*£                                          £*$*«^....
¨¨¨,~^*%@£                                          £@%*^~,¨¨¨
..,-††&§##                                          ##§&††-,..
,-~\%&&###                                          ###&&%\~-,
.,.«†*$#@@                                          @@#$*†«.,.