¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=#                                          #=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««=#                                          #=««¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«==@@###                                          ###@@==«,¨
¨,«==@#@##                                          ##@#@==«,¨
¨,«==@#@##                                          ##@#@==«,¨
¨,«==@#@@#         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         #@@#@==«,¨
¨,«==@#@##         = 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.       ##@@*$\».¨
¨¨,,=~**&§                                          §&**~=,,¨¨
¨,¨~=~/%$¶                                          ¶$%/~=~¨,¨
,,~*^££###                                          ###££^*~,,
,¨.,.-/§#@                                          @#§/-.,.¨,
.¨.~--§§%§                                          §%§§--~.¨.