¨.~/†%£###                                          ###£%†/~.¨
¨.~/†%£###                                          ###£%†/~.¨
¨.~/†%%£££                                          £££%%†/~.¨
¨¨¨.//%%##                                          ##%%//.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/†£#                                          #£†/~.¨¨¨¨
¨.~/†%£###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###£%†/~.¨
¨.~/†%£###         / 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.  §@#$†-«,¨,
¨,.¨.:,*†@        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       @†*,:.¨.,¨
.^~/*$£¶##                                          ##¶£$*/~^.
.~«†%£&£##                                          ##£&£%†«~.
..,«*=§#@#                                          #@#§=*«,..
,,~/=%§@@#                                          #@@§%=/~,,
.:«/^$#@##                                          ##@#$^/«:.