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