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