...^^«*$@#                                          #@$*«^^...
.^«*§$¤@##                                          ##@¤$§*«^.
.^«*§$¤@##                                          ##@¤$§*«^.
.^«*§$¤@##                                          ##@¤$§*«^.
.^«*§§§¤¤#                                          #¤¤§§§*«^.
.^«*§$¤@##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##@¤$§*«^.
.^«*§$¤@##         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ##@¤$§*«^.
.^«*§$¤@##         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ##@¤$§*«^.
....«*$$$@         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         @$$$*«....
.^«*§$¤@##         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         ##@¤$§*«^.
...^^«*$@#         *  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  *         #@$*«^^...
...«**§$@#  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@$§**«...
.^«*§$¤@##  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ##@¤$§*«^.
.....^«*$@         *        AT ALL...     *         @$*«^.....
.^«*§$¤@##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##@¤$§*«^.
¨,~/*@&@##                                          ##@&@*/~,¨
.,,,,:/*%#     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.       &†«¨,,,..¨
.,,,«/:†@#                                          #@†:/«,,,.
.-»\*&@###                                          ###@&*\»-.
.~«/*¤&¶##                                          ##¶&¤*/«~.
.,=^†%####                                          ####%†^=,.
¨,,¨.,^$£¤                                          ¤£$^,.¨,,¨