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