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