.^~==@¤@@#                                          #@@¤@==~^.
..^~==@¤@@                                          @@¤@==~^..
...^~==@¤@                                          @¤@==~^...
....^~==@¤                                          ¤@==~^....
.....^~==@                                          @==~^.....
......^~==         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ==~^......
.....^~==@         = 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.  @@£=*~-...
¨.-~^^$#¶#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #¶#$^^~-.¨
.^»==&¤@##                                          ##@¤&==»^.
¨.,==†@@@#                                          #@@@†==,.¨
...-=*%*§#                                          #§*%*=-...
.¨¨,-«\**#                                          #**\«-,¨¨.
,¨¨,¨,=*%%                                          %%*=,¨,¨¨,