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