..~**§§###                                          ###§§**~..
..~**§§§§#                                          #§§§§**~..
..~**§§@##                                          ##@§§**~..
......*§@@                                          @@§*......
..~**§§###                                          ###§§**~..
..~**§@###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###@§**~..
....~~~**§         * 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,                   #$%=~¨.,¨.
¨-=«~==£§#                                          #§£==~«=-¨
¨~»==&£@##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##@£&==»~¨
.,»\=£§@##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##@§£=\»,.
¨~»/%¤@###                                          ###@¤%/»~¨
¨.~*^$££##                                          ##££$^*~.¨
¨.¨,~%*§£#                                          #£§*%~,¨.¨
,,«;*§£###                                          ###£§*;«,,
,,«^*&££¤&                                          &¤££&*^«,,