....««*££#                                          #££*««....
..«=*£¤###                                          ###¤£*=«..
..«=*£¤###                                          ###¤£*=«..
..«=*£¤###                                          ###¤£*=«..
..«=*£¤###                                          ###¤£*=«..
..«=*£¤###         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ###¤£*=«..
......=**¤         = 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.       #@¶&§*:~.¨
,,..¨¨:†^¤                                          ¤^†:¨¨..,,
....,~/¤§#                                          #§¤/~,....
,^«†%@@@##                                          ##@@@%†«^,
,,=^^£¤@##                                          ##@¤£^^=,,
.,«**§@@##                                          ##@@§**«,.