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