,,,,~«=££¶                                          ¶££=«~,,,,
,,,,~==££¶                                          ¶££==~,,,,
,~«=%£¤¤¤¶                                          ¶¤¤¤£%=«~,
,~«=%££££¶                                          ¶££££%=«~,
,,~~==££¶¶                                          ¶¶££==~~,,
,,,,,««%£¤         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¤£%««,,,,,
,~«««=%££¶         = 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.       @#†**/«¨¨,
¨~«^^£££@@                                          @@£££^^«~¨
¨,,¨.«=^%¤                                          ¤%^=«.¨,,¨
¨:~=^$£#@#                                          #@#£$^=~:¨
.:.»;/*=&£                                          £&=*/;».:.
¨,=:=%&£##                                          ##£&%=:=,¨