..»†%£@£##                                          ##£@£%†»..
......»†£@                                          @£†»......
..»†%£@£##                                          ##£@£%†»..
..»†%£@£##                                          ##£@£%†»..
..»†%£@£##                                          ##£@£%†»..
....»»%£@£         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         £@£%»»....
..»†%£@£##         † 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.        ##@§@^:»,¨
¨,,:«~†$*§                                          §*$†~«:,,¨
..¨«=~*£¤#                                          #¤£*~=«¨..
¨:=;%%§¶##                                          ##¶§%%;=:¨
.¨.-~~†^#@                                          @#^†~~-.¨.
¨,~;*$£¶#@                                          @#¶£$*;~,¨