.^=*%$¤£##                                          ##£¤$%*=^.
.....^*$$£                                          £$$*^.....
.^=*%$¤£##                                          ##£¤$%*=^.
.^=*%$¤£##                                          ##£¤$%*=^.
...^*%%%¤#                                          #¤%%%*^...
.....=**$¤         # ==================== #         ¤$**=.....
.^=*%$¤£##         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ##£¤$%*=^.
.^=*%$¤£##         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ##£¤$%*=^.
.....^==%¤         *  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.  ###@¤§^=..
,..¨¨=$%¤@        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       @¤%$=¨¨..,
¨,»=*@@@@#                                          #@@@@*=»,¨
.,=;%§@###                                          ###@§%;=,.
,,¨.,^.:&#                                          #&:.^,.¨,,
¨,.,^~=^§#                                          #§^=~^,.,¨
.,-^†$#@@@                                          @@@#$†^-,.