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