.:=††¤¶###                                          ###¶¤††=:.
..:=††¤¶##                                          ##¶¤††=:..
...:=††¤¶#                                          #¶¤††=:...
....:=††¤¶                                          ¶¤††=:....
.....:=††¤                                          ¤††=:.....
......:=††         # ==================== #         ††=:......
.......:=†         † 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.        %;»,..¨..¨
,¨,,¨¨..«/                                          /«..¨¨,,¨,
¨¨,.¨¨,¨-~                                          ~-¨,¨¨.,¨¨
,.¨.¨¨,.,,                                          ,,.,¨¨.¨.,
.,¨,,¨,¨~-                                          -~¨,¨,,¨,.
.,,,..,-~^                                          ^~-,..,,,.