,.=††&&&&#                                          #&&&&††=.,
,,,,.=†††&                                          &†††=.,,,,
,.=††&&###                                          ###&&††=.,
,..==††&&#                                          #&&††==..,
,,,,.=†&&#                                          #&&†=.,,,,
,,,,.=††&&         # ==================== #         &&††=.,,,,
,,,,.††&&#         † 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.       @£#&£%†«~,
.¨,«~~§%¤#                                          #¤%§~~«,¨.
.:~^*£&¶@@                                          @@¶&£*^~:.
¨:«^\/%%@#                                          #@%%/\^«:¨
¨,~:%$@#@#                                          #@#@$%:~,¨
.~~†^££@@#                                          #@@££^†~~.