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