¨~~†$$$@##                                          ##@$$$†~~¨
¨~~†$%@###                                          ###@%$†~~¨
¨~~†$%@###                                          ###@%$†~~¨
¨~~$%@####                                          ####@%$~~¨
¨¨¨¨~†$$@@                                          @@$$†~¨¨¨¨
¨~~†$%@###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###@%$†~~¨
¨~~†$%@###         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ###@%$†~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†$%#         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         #%$†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~†$%@###         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ###@%$†~~¨
¨~~†$%@###         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ###@%$†~~¨
¨~~†$%@###         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ###@%$†~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~$%%@  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, @%%$~~¨¨¨¨
¨~~†$%@###  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ###@%$†~~¨
¨¨~~†$$%@#         †        AT ALL...     †         #@%$$†~~¨¨
¨~~†$%@###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###@%$†~~¨
.,,..«†%§&                                          &§%†«..,,.
,.¨,.~»\%§     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.  #@@@£%=~^,
.,-:%$£@##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##@£$%:-,.
,,.»~~^§¤@                                          @¤§^~~».,,
~»^$%£#@##                                          ##@#£%$^»~
.-~;$%§¶@#                                          #@¶§%$;~-.
..¨¨.--%&£                                          £&%--.¨¨..
.,«†^¤@@##                                          ##@@¤^†«,.