,,,,=:$§£¶                                          ¶£§$:=,,,,
,,,=:$§£¶#                                          #¶£§$:=,,,
,,=:$§£¶##                                          ##¶£§$:=,,
,,,=:$§£¶#                                          #¶£§$:=,,,
,,,,=:$§£¶                                          ¶£§$:=,,,,
,,,,,=:$§£         # ==================== #         £§$:=,,,,,
,,,,,,=:$§         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         §$:=,,,,,,
,,,,,=:$§£         : IN A STALE TIMELINE, :         £§$:=,,,,,
,,,,=:$§£¶         :  BRANCHED WAY BACK   :         ¶£§$:=,,,,
,,,=:$§£¶#         :  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  :         #¶£§$:=,,,
,,=:$§£¶##         :  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  :         ##¶£§$:=,,
,,,=:$§£¶# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  #¶£§$:=,,,
,,,,=:$§£¶  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ¶£§$:=,,,,
,,,,,=:$§£         :        AT ALL...     :         £§$:=,,,,,
,,,,,,=:$§         # ==================== #         §$:=,,,,,,
.,¨..«^*£§                                          §£*^«..¨,.
,,..~==¤§£     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.       @&*:=:,,¨,
.¨..,^=^*%                                          %*^=^,..¨.
¨¨.,~=\=*£                                          £*=\=~,.¨¨
,..~=*%¤§£                                          £§¤%*=~..,
¨.:=;†¤#¶#                                          #¶#¤†;=:.¨
.-=;^@@@##                                          ##@@@^;=-.