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