¨¨¨...^£@@                                          @@£^...¨¨¨
¨¨¨««^^%£@                                          @£%^^««¨¨¨
¨.«^%£@@##                                          ##@@£%^«.¨
¨¨¨..^%@@@                                          @@@%^..¨¨¨
¨.«^%£@@##                                          ##@@£%^«.¨
¨.«^%£@@##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##@@£%^«.¨
¨¨¨¨.^£££@         ^ 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.       ###£%†/~..
¨.«†^&####                                          ####&^†«.¨
¨.~\*$&@##                                          ##@&$*\~.¨
¨-~=^£@@##                                          ##@@£^=~-¨
¨,=*=%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%=*=,¨
,:~^=£%$£#                                          #£$%£=^~:,