,,,^†††§&#                                          #&§†††^,,,
,,,,^†§§§¶                                          ¶§§§†^,,,,
,^~†§§&¶##                                          ##¶&§§†~^,
,^~†§§&¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶&§§†~^,
,^~†§§&¶##                                          ##¶&§§†~^,
,,,,,,~§§&         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         &§§~,,,,,,
,^~†§§&¶##         † 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.  @£%^^~.,..
¨¨.,,~~§$¤        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¤$§~~,,.¨¨
,,¨¨..~†%£                                          £%†~..¨¨,,
¨,~**%@¤§&                                          &§¤@%**~,¨
.,¨=\§=†*§                                          §*†=§\=¨,.
,¨..,.~^£¶                                          ¶£^~.,..¨,
,,»:=£#¶@#                                          #@¶#£=:»,,