,,~;%£&££#                                          #££&£%;~,,
,,~;%£&£##                                          ##£&£%;~,,
,,~;%£&£##                                          ##£&£%;~,,
,,~;%£&£##                                          ##£&£%;~,,
,,~;%£&£##                                          ##£&£%;~,,
,,~;%£&£##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##£&£%;~,,
,,,,~~%%££         ; 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.       ###££$:~^¨
.:~^§¤&£@#                                          #@£&¤§^~:.
,,«\†%&@##  HE TRIES TO RESIST AT FIRST, BUT IS TOO ##@&%†\«,,
.-«\\=:%##   CLOSE, AND HE QUICKLY GIVES UP AS THE  ##%:=\\«-.
,.~=**¤¶##  LIQUID FLOWS INTO HIS MIND. THE OTHERS, ##¶¤**=~.,
,^=/%*§£##   ~ NOT UNDERSTANDING THE-DANGER, MOVE   ##£§*%/=^,
,~«:%§£¶##       CLOSER TO HELP THEIR,FRIEND.       ##¶£§%:«~,
.,~\^¤#¶@#       ¨      =    ~            ~ ,       #@¶#¤^\~,.
,.,.¨-=%@¤    AND.THEN.THE,POOL,ANNOUNCES¨ITSELF    ¤@%=-¨.,.,
,.¨~-;*§£@     TO.THEM,-.SUDDEN,,¨THOUGHTS.OF.      @£§*;-~¨.,
¨^~\%£§###    ,~~DARK«WOLVES~¨CLIMBING.OUT.OF-:,«   ###§£%\~^¨
¨,=-†/%*@#    ~~~THE~POOL,«SURROUNDING†THEM;-=;*    #@*%/†-=,¨
.¨¨,,~-=%&    =SUDDEN^THOUGHTS*OF»~:CLIMBING*^*     &%=-~,,¨¨.
¨..¨:;:@¶£   INTO*THE=POOL,%THEIR%THIRST*FLARING§   £¶@:;:¨..¨
.^~**&¤###    §^†BRIGHT§-*%A*SUDDEN§§AWARENESS#     ###¤&**~^.
,,-:*%£@##  #%OF§&EXACTLY§@HOW§THEY&HAD£TRAVELED,%# ##@£%*:-,,
,.=/%£&@##   #&OF£THE#WAY¶HOME@¶TO£THE£TIME#FROM£@  ##@&£%/=.,
¨,.¨,,:^^£   ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,###@@##AND@THEN###@  £^^:,,¨.,¨
,:«/^%§@##   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE\»   ##@§%^/«:,
,,,,.=†^%@   ~~BEING ~ STOLEN «» FROM ~=- THEM. .   @%^†=.,,,,
.¨,,.~^$£@          -~ ¨  =~~ ,  ».  ,»  «          @£$^~.,,¨.
..¨,,~/=$@    -   ,:          -                ¨    @$=/~,,¨..
.,«^^%£¤@£        .      ,          ,      =        £@¤£%^^«,.
,~-/%%@¶##                                          ##¶@%%/-~,
..-::%^§#&                    ¨#,                   &#§^%::-..
¨~»*=§@@##                                          ##@@§=*»~¨
.:~»~†££@£                   AND,                   £@££†~»~:.
,.»^=%@#@@                                          @@#@%=^».,
..,.¨,,~^#  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  #^~,,¨.,..
,.~^§£##@#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #@##£§^~.,
¨^~†$%&@@#                                          #@@&%$†~^¨
,,«^%$$§##                                          ##§$$%^«,,
¨~==†¤&£##                                          ##£&¤†==~¨
¨.«=%£##¶@                                          @¶##£%=«.¨
,^»\$$§£##                                          ##£§$$\»^,