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