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