,^~^%%@¶@#                                          #@¶@%%^~^,
,,^~^%%@¶@                                          @¶@%%^~^,,
,,,^~^%%@¶                                          ¶@%%^~^,,,
,,,,^~^%%@                                          @%%^~^,,,,
,,,,,^~^%%                                          %%^~^,,,,,
,,,,,,^~^%         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         %^~^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^~^         ^ 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. ¨   »~¨,.¨¨¨,.
¨¨.,,¨¨.-*          «~ ,  »»~ ,  -.  -=  ~          *-.¨¨,,.¨¨
,.¨,.¨^~\†    ^   .:          ~                ¨    †\~^¨.,¨.,
..¨,,,-:†*        .      ¨          .      %        *†:-,,,¨..
¨¨.¨:=^=$§                                          §$=^=:¨.¨¨
¨..~-=%£#¶                    ¨#,                   ¶#£%=-~..¨
¨¨,-\=§#@@                                          @@#§=\-,¨¨
¨:«/†$&¶@#                   AND,                   #@¶&$†/«:¨
¨¨,~/*&&##                                          ##&&*/~,¨¨
¨,.,-^%$£¶  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¶£$%^-,.,¨
¨¨¨.:=;$%§       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        §%$;=:.¨¨¨
¨.¨..~-\*%                                          %*\-~..¨.¨
,..,¨¨,»†$                                          $†»,¨¨,..,
,,..,¨¨:=*                                          *=:¨¨,..,,
,.,¨,,,,,~                                          ~,,,,,¨,.,
..,.¨¨.,¨:                                          :¨,.¨¨.,..