,^»†%¤£###                                          ###£¤%†»^,
,^»†%¤£###                                          ###£¤%†»^,
,^»†%£####                                          ####£%†»^,
,^»†%¤£###                                          ###£¤%†»^,
,^»†%¤£###                                          ###£¤%†»^,
,^»†%¤£###         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ###£¤%†»^,
,^»†%¤£###         † 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.       #££$\^.,,,
..-/=$£###                                          ###£$=/-..
.-«\%%££@¶                                          ¶@££%%\«-.
¨-»=%£&£##                                          ##£&£%=»-¨
¨,~*%*¤£##                                          ##£¤*%*~,¨
,-»»^\=§£@                                          @£§=\^»»-,