¨^»=†††#@@                                          @@#†††=»^¨
¨¨¨^»==††#                                          #††==»^¨¨¨
^»=†$#@###                                          ###@#$†=»^
¨¨¨»»»»†$#                                          #$†»»»»¨¨¨
¨¨¨^»==†##                                          ##†==»^¨¨¨
¨^»=†$#@##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##@#$†=»^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^»=$@         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         @$=»^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨»»†††##         = 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.       ###§£††«,.
¨^~;§%@###                                          ###@%§;~^¨
.~~*§£§@##                                          ##@§£§*~~.
,,^~=†$£¤@                                          @¤£$†=~^,,
¨~\**§@@##                                          ##@@§**\~¨
...^~\:$*¶                                          ¶*$:\~^...