,,,,=::%§¤                                          ¤§%::=,,,,
,,=:%§¤@@@                                          @@@¤§%:=,,
,,===:§¤@@                                          @@¤§:===,,
,,=:%§¤@##                                          ##@¤§%:=,,
,,=:%%%§§¤                                          ¤§§%%%:=,,
,,=:%§¤¤@@         # ==================== #         @@¤¤§%:=,,
,,=:%§¤@@#         : 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@###   #@##§$^~,,
,¨¨^\/%@%#   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE†«   #%@%/\^¨¨,
,~»^†&§@##   -«BEING ~ STOLEN »~ FROM ~»= THEM. .   ##@§&†^»~,
¨,~/$¤@@##          »= .  ~== .  =.  ~»  »          ##@@¤$/~,¨
¨.¨¨.~-;££    :   ~,          ,                ¨    ££;-~.¨¨.¨
..¨¨,.:%##        ¨      ,          ,      %        ##%:.,¨¨..
¨~«/=¤&¶##                                          ##¶&¤=/«~¨
¨^~\†%#@##                    ,#.                   ##@#%†\~^¨
.:~/%¤¤¶##                                          ##¶¤¤%/~:.
¨,,~-~/££#                   AND,                   #££/~-~,,¨
¨.¨,¨~^¤@#                                          #@¤^~¨,¨.¨
¨:~*=@&£¤¤  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¤¤£&@=*~:¨
¨..--~%£¤@       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        @¤£%~--..¨
.-»†=£§###                                          ###§£=†»-.
.,.«~†§†#@                                          @#†§†~«.,.
.,¨¨:.=@£@                                          @£@=.:¨¨,.
¨.»==*%&@&                                          &@&%*==».¨
¨,~^;†$£*#                                          #*£$†;^~,¨