¨¨^-†*$###                                          ###$*†-^¨¨
¨^-†*$####                                          ####$*†-^¨
¨¨^-†*$###                                          ###$*†-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-†*$##                                          ##$*†-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-†*$#                                          #$*†-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^-†*$         # -------------------- #         $*†-^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^-†*         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         *†-^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^-†*$         † 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. ,   @&$%==^..¨
.¨-~/†@¤##          =~ ¨  «»= .  =.  ~-  -          ##¤@†/~-¨.
,.»/%@§¶##    :   ~.          ,                ¨    ##¶§@%/».,
,¨,=\**§¶@        ,      .          .      ^        @¶§**\=,¨,
¨..,«\%$£#                                          #£$%\«,..¨
¨.,.~=*†¤#                    ,#,                   #¤†*=~.,.¨
.,.,,,«^$@                                          @$^«,,,.,.
¨,¨,,,.~=*                   AND,                   *=~.,,,¨,¨
.¨¨¨.,«/^£                                          £^/«,.¨¨¨.
.,¨.-=/*£@  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  @£*/=-.¨,.
.¨..»:†¤§¶        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¶§¤†:»..¨.
.,,~^%¤£¶#                                          #¶£¤%^~,,.
..«†%$£@##                                          ##@£$%†«..
..^~=%$£#@                                          @#£$%=~^..
,.¨,«†*%#¶                                          ¶#%*†«,¨.,
.,,¨^-==££                                          ££==-^¨,,.