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