¨¨,«**%%@#                                          #@%%**«,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,*%#                                          #%*,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨,,«««*%#                                          #%*«««,,¨¨
¨,«*%%#@##                                          ##@#%%*«,¨
¨,«*%%%#@#                                          #@#%%%*«,¨
¨,«*%%####         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ####%%*«,¨
¨,«*%%#@##         * 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.        #@#&§§/~,¨
,^«*$$=*#@                                          @#*=$$*«^,
¨,«;=¤&@##                                          ##@&¤=;«,¨
¨^~/$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$/~^¨
,¨..¨-~*£¤                                          ¤£*~-¨..¨,
,¨.¨,-*=&£                                          £&=*-,¨.¨,