....,~=§££                                          ££§=~,....
...,~=§££¶                                          ¶££§=~,...
..,~=§££¶@                                          @¶££§=~,..
.,~=§££¶@#                                          #@¶££§=~,.
..,~=§££¶@                                          @¶££§=~,..
...,~=§££¶         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¶££§=~,...
....,~=§££         = 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.        *%=«,¨¨.,¨
..,,:-\*%¤                                          ¤%*\-:,,..
.,¨.-;^*&¶                                          ¶&*^;-.¨,.
..,-**%#@#                                          #@#%**-,..
..==%¤&#@#                                          #@#&¤%==..
,¨~»*%%&£@                                          @£&%%*»~¨,