..:~†=*§##                                          ##§*=†~:..
.:~†=*§###                                          ###§*=†~:.
..:~†=*§##                                          ##§*=†~:..
...:~†=*§#                                          #§*=†~:...
....:~†=*§                                          §*=†~:....
...:~†=*§#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #§*=†~:...
..:~†=*§##         † 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.       #¤@%*~,.¨¨
..,,-~^%*¤                                          ¤*%^~-,,..
¨¨,,»\†%@#                                          #@%†\»,,¨¨
.,.-*%%#@#                                          #@#%%*-.,.
.-»=*%¤###                                          ###¤%*=»-.
¨,^~:=%§##                                          ##§%=:~^,¨