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