.,=*%£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£%*=,.
.,=*%£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£%*=,.
.,=*%£¤¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶¤£%*=,.
.,=*%£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£%*=,.
.....,=%£¤                                          ¤£%=,.....
.,=*%£¤¶##         # ==================== #         ##¶¤£%*=,.
....=**%¤#         * 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.  ##@¤%=\«:,
.,~††$@¶@#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #@¶@$††~,.
¨:««=~*%@@                                          @@%*~=««:¨
.~»=*¤¤£#@                                          @#£¤¤*=»~.
.¨..,~~†¤¤                                          ¤¤†~~,..¨.
¨,,,^*/$§@                                          @§$/*^,,,¨
¨,¨..=-=%¤                                          ¤%=-=..¨,¨