......=†¤#                                          #¤†=......
.....^=†¤#                                          #¤†=^.....
.....^^^$£                                          £$^^^.....
.^=^†$¤£##                                          ##£¤$†^=^.
.^=^†$¤£##                                          ##£¤$†^=^.
.^=^†$¤¤¤£         # ==================== #         £¤¤¤$†^=^.
.^=^$¤£###         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ###£¤$^=^.
....^=^$£#         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         #£$^=^....
...^==††¤£         ^  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.       @£*†*\=::¨
,.~;%£¤@@#                                          #@@¤£%;~.,
¨:~;†*£¶##                                          ##¶£*†;~:¨
,..,~\$¤##                                          ##¤$\~,..,
.~~^§%@¶#@                                          @#¶@%§^~~.
¨,-*†*§*&@                                          @&*§*†*-,¨