,,~«†$¤@¶#                                          #¶@¤$†«~,,
,,,~«†$¤@¶                                          ¶@¤$†«~,,,
,,,,~«†$¤@                                          @¤$†«~,,,,
,,,,,~«†$¤                                          ¤$†«~,,,,,
,,,,,,~«†$                                          $†«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«†         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         †«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~«         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~«  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«†         †        AT ALL...     †         †«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~«†$         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         $†«~,,,,,,
¨¨¨..~»^§£                                          £§^»~..¨¨¨
.¨...~*=£@     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     @£=*~...¨.
,,,.~†*%¤£   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   £¤%*†~.,,,
,,-=*%§#@@  FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND @@#§%*=-,,
.,~;†@&@##   ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND.  ##@&@†;~,.
¨,:«/§$§¶#   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.       .¨¨,,..,¨,
,,.,...,¨.                                          .¨,...,.,,
.¨¨,,¨¨,¨:                                          :¨,¨¨,,¨¨.
¨,...¨,¨.~                                          ~.¨,¨...,¨
¨,.¨,.,--=                                          =--,.,¨.,¨
¨,.¨,,,~;%                                          %;~,,,¨.,¨