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