,~~†*&#¶@#                                          #@¶#&*†~~,
,~~†*&#¶@#                                          #@¶#&*†~~,
,,,~†**&##                                          ##&**†~,,,
,~~†*&#¶@#                                          #@¶#&*†~~,
,~~†*&#@##                                          ##@#&*†~~,
,,~~~~†*#¶         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¶#*†~~~~,,
,~~†*&#¶##         † 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.       #@¶#%*/--¨
,:«:%&¤£#@                                          @#£¤&%:«:,
¨.,.,:%#¶#                                          #¶#%:,.,.¨
,,,,¨¨.^@#                                          #@^.¨¨,,,,
.¨..¨¨«=@£                                          £@=«¨¨..¨.
¨,,¨,~~%£#                                          #£%~~,¨,,¨