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