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