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