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