.:=\%%#@##                                          ##@#%%\=:.
..:=\%%#@#                                          #@#%%\=:..
...:=\%%#@                                          @#%%\=:...
....:=\%%#                                          #%%\=:....
.....:=\%%                                          %%\=:.....
....:=\%%#         # ==================== #         #%%\=:....
...:=\%%#@         \ 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/~   #¤§^^=:...
.¨,¨^~=^$&   ~=BEING « STOLEN ~» FROM --» THEM. .   &$^=~^¨,¨.
..¨¨¨:-\**          ~« ¨  ~»» ¨  »¨  --  -          **\-:¨¨¨..
.,¨¨^-\$%&    ^   ,^          .                .    &%$\-^¨¨,.
.¨¨-=††%¤@        ,      ,          .      *        @¤%††=-¨¨.
,.^~*=£&@@                                          @@&£=*~^.,
.,~\^$£¶##                    .#¨                   ##¶£$^\~,.
¨.,~/†%&##                                          ##&%†/~,.¨
.¨¨^-=*&&#                   AND,                   #&&*=-^¨¨.
¨.,¨~=\*¤¤                                          ¤¤*\=~¨,.¨
,.,,¨-»\*%  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  %*\»-¨,,.,
¨,,.,-;^¤#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #¤^;-,.,,¨
,¨.,«\*&##                                          ##&*\«,.¨,
¨.-=/^@£@#                                          #@£@^/=-.¨
¨:=^$£§#@#                                          #@#§£$^=:¨
¨.,-;*$@@#                                          #@@$*;-,.¨
¨..,«*%*@£                                          £@*%*«,..¨