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