¨^=^*£§@##                                          ##@§£*^=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=*§@                                          @§*=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=*§                                          §*=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=^^^^£§#                                          #§£^^^^=^¨
¨¨¨¨=**£§§                                          §§£**=¨¨¨¨
¨^=^*£§@##         # ==================== #         ##@§£*^=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=^£@         ^ 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,                   ¶$/-:-¨¨.,
..»^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^»..
¨-\^£#@###  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ###@#£^\-¨
,,~†£§¶###       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ###¶§£†~,,
¨~~\$@####                                          ####@$\~~¨
¨-=†*%@###                                          ###@%*†=-¨
,..,,-\%¤@                                          @¤%\-,,..,
,-»:^£@&££                                          ££&@£^:»-,
,.^,-,*†¤£                                          £¤†*,-,^.,