,.»;%¤¤¤¤£                                          £¤¤¤¤%;».,
,,,,,,.;¤£                                          £¤;.,,,,,,
,.»;%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%;».,
,.»;%¤¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤¤%;».,
,.»;%¤¤¤¤£                                          £¤¤¤¤%;».,
,.»;%¤¤£##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##£¤¤%;».,
,.»;¤¤£###         ; 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.  ##£@$^^--,
,,-/%@&£@#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #@£&@%/-,,
.¨~,^^§#£#                                          #£#§^^,~¨.
¨,~^^%@$§&                                          &§$@%^^~,¨
...¨~†=§££                                          ££§=†~¨...
¨¨..¨~^£@#                                          #@£^~¨..¨¨
¨:~†%¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤%†~:¨