##£@£%\«^,                                          ,^«\%£@£##
#£@£%\«^,,                                          ,,^«\%£@£#
£@£%\«^,,,                                          ,,,^«\%£@£
@£%\«^,,,,                                          ,,,,^«\%£@
£%\«^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^«\%£
%\«^,,,,,,         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ,,,,,,^«\%
\«^,,,,,,,         \ 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.       ¨,¨¨¨.~~†^
/~:....,.¨                                          ¨.,....:~/
=-,,.¨,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,¨.,,-=
~.,¨.,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,.¨,.~
~,,,,.,¨,,                                          ,,¨,.,,,,~
†».¨,,,..,                                          ,..,,,¨.»†