,,,,,*==§§                                          §§==*,,,,,
,,~*=$§###                                          ###§$=*~,,
,,~*=$§###                                          ###§$=*~,,
,,~*=$§###                                          ###§$=*~,,
,,,,,,**$§                                          §$**,,,,,,
,,,,,~==$#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #$==~,,,,,
,,~*=$####         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ####$=*~,,
,,~**==$§#         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         #§$==**~,,
,,*=$§####         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ####§$=*,,
,,,,,,~*$§         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         §$*~,,,,,,
,,,,,*=§§§         *  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.       #¤=*«.¨¨¨.
¨~=;^@#£@#                                          #@£#@^;=~¨
,~«/§$££@#                                          #@££$§/«~,
,^»†^§§@@£                                          £@@§§^†»^,
,-«;=*#¶##                                          ##¶#*=;«-,
¨,,.:~/@¤@                                          @¤@/~:.,,¨