¨,=†^$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$^†=,¨
¨,=†^$¤¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶¤$^†=,¨
¨,=†^$¤¶¶#                                          #¶¶¤$^†=,¨
¨,=†^$¤###                                          ###¤$^†=,¨
¨,=†^$¤¤¶#                                          #¶¤¤$^†=,¨
¨¨,,††^$¶#         # ==================== #         #¶$^††,,¨¨
¨,=†$¤¶###         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ###¶¤$†=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=^$¶         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ¶$^=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=†^$¤###         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ###¤$^†=,¨
¨,=†^$¤¶##         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ##¶¤$^†=,¨
¨,=†^$¤¶##         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ##¶¤$^†=,¨
¨¨¨¨=†^$¤# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  #¤$^†=¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,,†^¤¤  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.       &¤§&*$:~,¨
..-=%%¤#@¶                                          ¶@#¤%%=-..
,¨..=»«†@&                                          &@†«»=..¨,
.:~;*$@@##                                          ##@@$*;~:.
,,-=%£££##                                          ##£££%=-,,
,,»;$*#££#                                          #££#*$;»,,