,^==†$£@##                                          ##@£$†==^,
,^==†$$$@#                                          #@$$$†==^,
,,^==††£££                                          £££††==^,,
,^==†$£@##                                          ##@£$†==^,
,^==†$£@##                                          ##@£$†==^,
,^==†$££@#         # ==================== #         #@££$†==^,
,^==†$£@##         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ##@£$†==^,
,^==†$£@##         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         ##@£$†==^,
,^==†$£@##         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         ##@£$†==^,
,^==†$@###         =  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  =         ###@$†==^,
,,,^==†£@@         =  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.        ##@@££%\»,
.:«†%£#@##                                          ##@#£%†«:.
¨.=;=%%&@#                                          #@&%%=;=.¨
¨~«†*%@###                                          ###@%*†«~¨
..¨,.~*¤§@                                          @§¤*~.,¨..
¨~-\/†:§¤#                                          #¤§:†/\-~¨