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