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