,:~\§%#¶@#                                          #@¶#%§\~:,
,:~\§%#¶@#                                          #@¶#%§\~:,
,,,,:~\%%#                                          #%%\~:,,,,
,:~\§%%%¶¶                                          ¶¶%%%§\~:,
,,,:~~\\§#                                          #§\\~~:,,,
,:~\§%#¶@@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @@¶#%§\~:,
,:~\§§%%#¶         \ 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. .   ###@%$†~,¨
¨.¨,.=£¤£@          ~~ ¨  ~=- ¨  «.  ,~  ~          @£¤£=.,¨.¨
¨¨¨~^/^£&#    .   ::          ~                ,    #&£^/^~¨¨¨
¨,-»/:†¤§£        ,      ,          ¨      *        £§¤†:/»-,¨
.¨:.~†%§$£                                          £$§%†~.:¨.
¨¨¨.«»~:%@                    ,#.                   @%:~»«.¨¨¨
,.~=$&£#@#                                          #@#£&$=~.,
,,=†^&%¤@#                   AND,                   #@¤%&^†=,,
,:=§§¤#@##                                          ##@#¤§§=:,
¨¨.¨,,:»*£  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  £*»:,,¨.¨¨
¨¨¨,¨.~††¤        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¤††~.¨,¨¨¨
,~-;=%$&@£                                          £@&$%=;-~,
,.,»=;†=@#                                          #@=†;=»,.,
.¨-»//==&#                                          #&==//»-¨.
¨^»^%&@@##                                          ##@@&%^»^¨
¨~~:**£*&&                                          &&*£**:~~¨