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