¨,«==¤£#@#                                          #@#£¤==«,¨
¨,«==¤£###                                          ###£¤==«,¨
¨,«==¤£#@#                                          #@#£¤==«,¨
¨,«==¤£#@@                                          @@#£¤==«,¨
¨,«==¤£#@#                                          #@#£¤==«,¨
¨¨¨,,,«==£         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         £==«,,,¨¨¨
¨,«==¤£#@#         = 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.        ##¶#£^*«,.
¨:»\**£@##                                          ##@£**\»:¨
,,~,»;=%&¤                                          ¤&%=;»,~,,
¨,.¨..»*%@                                          @%*»..¨.,¨
,~=†\^=§†&                                          &†§=^\†=~,
,,«^§%#¶##                                          ##¶#%§^«,,