,^«^$£&£##                                          ##£&£$^«^,
,^«^$£&£##                                          ##£&£$^«^,
,^«^$£&£##                                          ##£&£$^«^,
,^«$£&£###                                          ###£&£$«^,
,,,««««^££                                          ££^««««,,,
,^«^$£&£££         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         £££&£$^«^,
,^«^$£&£##         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ##£&£$^«^,
,,,,^^«^£&         ^ 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.       ###§$**»,¨
,:«=§$&£##                                          ##£&$§=«:,
.¨,«»/:%£#                                          #£%:/»«,¨.
,,¨¨--«\$£                                          £$\«--¨¨,,
¨~»;^£&###                                          ###&£^;»~¨
.^~†*$@@@#                                          #@@@$*†~^.