,,,~††@£¶@                                          @¶£@††~,,,
,,,,~††@£¶                                          ¶£@††~,,,,
,,,,,~††@£                                          £@††~,,,,,
,,,,,,~††@                                          @††~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~††                                          ††~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~†         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         †~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~         † 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.       \»,,,.¨,.¨
¨,.¨,,¨¨~-                                          -~¨¨,,¨.,¨
,.,¨.,¨.,~                                          ~,.¨,.¨,.,
.¨.,.,.,^«                                          «^,.,.,.¨.
..,¨.,.:-*                                          *-:.,.¨,..
,..,,..~^%                                          %^~..,,..,