....:~;$$§                                          §$$;~:....
.....:~;$$                                          $$;~:.....
....:~;$$§                                          §$$;~:....
...:~;$$§¶                                          ¶§$$;~:...
..:~;$$§¶#                                          #¶§$$;~:..
.:~;$$§¶##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##¶§$$;~:.
..:~;$$§¶#         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         #¶§$$;~:..
...:~;$$§¶         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         ¶§$$;~:...
....:~;$$§         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         §$$;~:....
.....:~;$$         ;  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ;         $$;~:.....
....:~;$$§         ;  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ;         §$$;~:....
...:~;$$§¶ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ¶§$$;~:...
..:~;$$§¶#  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  #¶§$$;~:..
.:~;$$§¶##         ;        AT ALL...     ;         ##¶§$$;~:.
..:~;$$§¶#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #¶§$$;~:..
¨,.-«\%§@#                                          #@§%\«-.,¨
.¨¨,:»†*£@     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.  #£&&†\«,.¨
.:»†$$@£@#       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        #@£@$$†»:.
,¨,»:^$¤£@                                          @£¤$^:»,¨,
¨,¨:»^§$£#                                          #£$§^»:¨,¨
..¨¨^~=§@£                                          £@§=~^¨¨..
,,.¨.^«;†$                                          $†;«^.¨.,,
,¨¨¨~-*§$¤                                          ¤$§*-~¨¨¨,