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