,,~;†££@##                                          ##@££†;~,,
,,,,;†££@#                                          #@££†;,,,,
,,,,~~††£#                                          #£††~~,,,,
,,~;†££@##                                          ##@££†;~,,
,,~;†££@##                                          ##@££†;~,,
,,,,~;††££         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ££††;~,,,,
,,,,,~††£@         ; 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.        £@##¤*/~,,
,.,=«†¤£#@                                          @#£¤†«=,.,
¨~-*$&@###                                          ###@&$*-~¨
.,«:$£#@##                                          ##@#£$:«,.
,,-^%§@###                                          ###@§%^-,,
¨¨,¨~;^&¶#                                          #¶&^;~¨,¨¨