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