¨^~~~~†$$§                                          §$$†~~~~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$%@                                          @%$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~†$%§§@@                                          @@§§%$†~^¨
¨^~†$%§@##                                          ##@§%$†~^¨
¨^~†$%§###                                          ###§%$†~^¨
¨^~†$%§@##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##@§%$†~^¨
¨^~†$%§§@#         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         #@§§%$†~^¨
¨^~†$%§@##         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ##@§%$†~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^†%@         †  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.       #@£§§=/~^.
.¨.,-~=*@¤                                          ¤@*=~-,.¨.
¨^-*§%§@##                                          ##@§%§*-^¨
.-=;$¤&¶@#                                          #@¶&¤$;=-.
,:~*^£&@##                                          ##@&£^*~:,
.^»%&@@###                                          ###@@&%»^.