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