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