.^~:%%%%%£                                          £%%%%%:~^.
.^^~::%£##                                          ##£%::~^^.
....~~%%£#                                          #£%%~~....
.^~:%%£###                                          ###£%%:~^.
.^~:%%£###                                          ###£%%:~^.
......~:%£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £%:~......
...~:%%%##         : 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.       ###§&†:~~,
,~~^^%&£##                                          ##£&%^^~~,
.,~/*%§£@#                                          #@£§%*/~,.
¨~~\=%¤@##                                          ##@¤%=\~~¨
,,..^»†=†£                                          £†=†»^..,,
.»/=%£@###                                          ###@£%=/».