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