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