,~«†%%####                                          ####%%†«~,
,,,,,«†%%£                                          £%%†«,,,,,
,~«†%%#£##                                          ##£#%%†«~,
,,,~~~«†%#                                          #%†«~~~,,,
,~«†%%#£##                                          ##£#%%†«~,
,~«†%%#£££         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         £££#%%†«~,
,,,,,~~†%#         † 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.        #@@#%††«^¨
.,,^~-†^@#                                          #@^†-~^,,.
..-\%%#@£@                                          @£@#%%\-..
.¨,~-»«-^§                                          §^-«»-~,¨.
¨:-:§@&¶##                                          ##¶&@§:-:¨
¨,-==§£@##                                          ##@£§==-,¨