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