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