¨.~*%$$$##                                          ##$$$%*~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~%##                                          ##%~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~*%$$$#@                                          @#$$$%*~.¨
¨.~*%$####                                          ####$%*~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~%##                                          ##%~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~%%#@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @#%%~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.*%%$$#         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         #$$%%*.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$#         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         #$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~*%$##@#         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         #@##$%*~.¨
¨¨¨.~*%%##         *  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.        #@£@$$\-,¨
.~~«^†£¤#¶                                          ¶#¤£†^«~~.
¨,¨,~;*££¶                                          ¶££*;~,¨,¨
...¨^;^*%£                                          £%*^;^¨...
.~»;*£#@¶¶                                          ¶¶@#£*;»~.
.,=††*#@##                                          ##@#*††=,.