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