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