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