.,«†=&£@##                                          ##@£&=†«,.
.,«†=&£#@#                                          #@#£&=†«,.
.,,,«†=£##                                          ##£=†«,,,.
...,«====£                                          £====«,...
..,,,†&£££                                          £££&†,,,..
.,,,«==&£#         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         #£&==«,,,.
..,,,««†=£         † 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.       #¶&=-..,¨.
.¨.,¨««%£#                                          #£%««¨,.¨.
.¨.¨»~«^%@                                          @%^«~»¨.¨.
¨.-^§$££##                                          ##££$§^-.¨
¨..¨~;†£@@                                          @@£†;~¨..¨
.^~†%@¤###                                          ###¤@%†~^.